Together Forever
by FireDragonBL
Summary: Tenten gets better and better, almost on par with Neji, but she is still lost in her own mind, with no family, no friends, except of course, her teammates, Neji and Lee and Gai of course. And then she finds out that she has a bloodline limit. CHP25 up
1. Chp 1 Training Together Like Flowers

_**Together Forever**_

i'll come up with a better title when the plot begins rolling...

Disclaimer:...what the others said...

**Chapter 1:** Training Together (like flowers)

The two stood several feet apart, panting heavily, as sweat streamed down their exhausted bodies. Around them lay kunais, katanas, battle-axes, and kodachis (Tenten's for the most part). About twenty yards away, Lee was kicking the crap out of a log, which was by now a pile of splinters.

"Tenten, you've improved a bit…" Neji smirked.

"Enough to match you I think," she retorted, grinning. She brushed a bead of sweat from off her brow. "Urg…I'm really tired now Neji, can I…?"

"Can you take one more spar? Well, if you're not feeling up to the challenge…" He smiled condescendingly at her, which grew only wider as A vein began pulsing in the kunoiochi's cheek. Neji took great delight in infuriating her, yet he still couldn't figure out why. Just another great mystery in life.

"HYUUGA NEJI, I AM GONNA KICK YOUR ASS TO HELL AND BACK IF YOU KEEP SMIRKING AT ME!" She whipped out a kodachi from who knows where and streaked at Neji.

He grinned to himself. _Heh, blinded by rage…funny, is it just me, or am I the only person who seems able to get her up to this level of intensity? Well…I guess Lee can to, but in a different way._ He looked at her as she blazed towards him. _She's cute when she's angry…so beautiful…yet so…!!??_

She was suddenly in his face. He whipped a kunai from his pouch and was about to parry her blow when she suddenly reversed momentum and spun the other way. _Oh god, she's definitely improved now…_

He barely managed to get another kunai out to block the kodachi when her free hand sneaked under the blades and punched Neji in the midsection. He leapt back with the punch, minimizing the impact, just as Tenten, the smart girl she was, took the liberty of once again spinning around in midblow and dealt a swift whack to the side of Neji's head with the side of her kodachi. _Ahh…my head…how'd she get so fast? Ok that's it…_

"Let's go weaponless!" He parried a blow and drop kicked the kodachi out of her hand just she did the same to him.

She flipped away gracefully, but he didn't give her the chance to get into a fighting stance, as he flew after her, catching the kunoichi right as her feet landed on the ground. He leapt up and swept his foot forward in a horizontal arc form the side, unleashing a lethal roundhouse kick. Tenten merely went with the force of the kick, flipping sideways with the blow and planting one hand on the ground. Her free hand suddenly shot out and pulled his leg out from under him right before he managed to land properly, and they both tumbled down to the ground, with the end result being Tenten sitting triumphantly atop his chest, her pretty face sporting a leering grin. "So, you want you to kick your ass now or later?"

"…You've gotten better…but you're still…no MATCH!"

Tenten let an out a small, (and very uncharacteristic) shriek as she was sent flying towards the sun. He focused chakra into his legs and leapt after her. She spun 360 degrees and whipping her arms around to slash Neji but he avoided them and yelled, "JYUUKEN!"

He thrust a palm into Tenten's stomach, and to his surprise, she stuck her tongue out at him and exploded in a puff of smoke. _What they? Where'd she—_

"Jyuuken…" Neji felt someone perform the Gentle Fist Technique on him from behind. _What in the world?_ He had no choice, for if he didn't, he would lose, so he performed…

"KAITEN!"

* * *

Approximately twenty seconds later, when Tenten had finally came back down to earth (unconscious and still in agony), Tenten was fuming while Neji bandaged her broken body.

"You just had to go and use the Kaiten at point-blank, didn't you?"

"Well, you would've have knocked the crap out of me if I hadn't, and the Kaiten is defensive maneuver…"

"With enough inertia to rip its way through a house."

He merely smirked again, and Tenten gave him a deft whack with her working arm.

"Ow, that hurt." _She's funny when she's angry_

"It was suppose you…you d—OW!"

"Oops, sorry about that." He tried his best not to smile as he quickly replaced the bandage he had ripped off with a cautious gentleness used only with Tenten (when they were alone).

When he was with her, he usually felt rather calm. Not that he never looked that way, as he was often referred to as "stone-cold and extremely stoic". Funny thing was, as long as he was in public, he was "stone-cold and stoic". But when he was alone with Tenten, which was unfortunately rare at most, he dropped his cold visage and pretty much opened up his mind to her. She was the only one who could understand him, and his need to be the strongest, as she herself was striving to be the strongest kunoichi. She also happened to be catching up to him far faster than expected.

Usually, he despised girls, for their ability to continuously flirt, instead of training to improve their strength. He hated how they went around in groups giggling and whispering about how cute boys are. He despised their weakness with a passion. In fact he despised almost anyone who was weak with a passion. Of course, he now had a different way of viewing people, not only for their physical but also their mental strength, as he had learned in the Chuunin Exams several years ago, courtesy of one Uzumaki Naruto. Funnily enough, his cousin was enamored with the blonde ramen-loving boy. _He was kinda strange though…like when he fought Kiba, he farted in the poor kid's face._

Neji was still surprised at her newfound speed. But of course, kunoichi's were traditionally quicker and more nimble than their respective male counterparts. Sort of. She was already on par with his speed, he surmised. He grinned to himself as he covered a cut with some ointment. Random thoughts about the girl next to him were flying into his mind suddenly. _Hmmm…wonder how she looks with her hair down? NOOO…MUST STOP THINKING BAD THOUGHTS ABOUT TENTEN! _He grimaced, mentally beating himself with a stick.

"Neji? Why are you still grinning stupidly like that?"

"…Hn…" He had not expected her to notice the expression, much less take it the wrong— SMACK!— way. His face was starting to hurt now. He reminded himself not to ignore her.

After he finished, he picked her up gently, giving her a scolding look. "Still Tenten, you shouldn't have charged me like that…I was afraid that you would decapitate me if I didn't use the Kaiten."

She looked at him frowning, but then her face broke into a warm smile, "It's okay, I guess I shouldn't have gotten that angry at you. I forgive anyways…"

"You, forgive me?"

"What did you expect?" she inquired, examining him closely.

"An apology…" He did it. He just smirked again. He braced himself for the incoming impact. But it never came.

"You wish, Hyuuga, you wish…" She walked off dizzily to collect her fallen weapons. Neji walked after her to help.

"…Wait…Tenten…how?"

"I've been training with you for how long? About five years…I think I can copy your taijutsu by now…"

"…Then that proves that you are one of the strongest shinobi I know then…I'm still shocked at how you did it." He smirked, "Or was it just an accident and you're pretending you did it on purpose?"

Meanwhile, hidden in a nearby tree. Rock Lee, Taijutsu master and the third member of Maito Gai's team, sat in the branches, spying on the happy pair. _OH MY GOD! DID NEJI JUST SMILE? AND THAT WAS THE MOST I'VE HEARD HIM SPEAK SINCE…SINCE…__**blank mind**_

Tenten perked up as she hastily hid all of her 60 shuriken, 60 kunai, 4 kodachi, and two katanas, along with a vicious 40 kilogram pole blade she called a guan dao. Neji just stared in shock. He just had to blink, didn't he. He had once again failed to observe how Tenten manage to hid her mobile armory within that lithe form of hers, that beautiful, angelic…_NOOO STOP IT WITH THOSE DAMN THOUGHTS! DAMN THESE USELESS HORMONES! _It was about then he received the sudden urge to pull Tenten's hair out of its buns. Just a thought, really. He enjoyed flirting of one kind, and that was flirting with danger. Unfortunately, he had tried this once, and he had lost the first sparring match of his life within the next ten minutes.

Tenten looked around. She could have sworn she heard something rustle in the trees around them. She then noticed that Neji was still staring at her, or her body at least.

"Neji? Please stop looking at me that way….it's kinda scaring me right now…"

She had thought that he would have noticed the presence of another person by now. Neji blinked as he snapped out of his stupor. He quickly hurled a kunai into the tree Lee was hiding in without looking. Lee tumbled out clutching a kunai in his hands.

"Ehehehe…hey Tenten…Neji!"

"Lee…just how much did you see and hear?"

"Oh, I saw everything!" He grinned as he tossed Neji the kunai.

Neji caught it and glared daggers at Lee, who ignored it.

"I am soooo happy to know that you have a SPIRIT OF YOUTH WITHIN YOU TOO! Even when it's only with Tenten…AND TENTEN! YOU ARE STILL A VIBRANT LETHAL FLOWER OF BEAUTY! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE WITH NEJI! FLOWERS GROW BEST WITH GOOD COMPANY! THEN THEY CAN CREATE MORE FLOWERS TOGETHER!" The poor Taijutsu master did not realize what kind of onslaught he had just unleashed upon himself.

…Silence had befallen the small clearing. There was a vein twitching on Neji's forehead, while Tenten had absentmindedly reached for her weapons pouch. Neji's iron wall of eternal coldness had been raised once again. And Lee was going to have hell to pay.

end chp. 1

this is my first naruto fic, so be nice and review...and yeah there will be other pairings too, but Tenten-Neji is main

Tenten: HAHA NEJI I'M KICKING ROYAL ASS

Neji: Hn...

BL: Well, as you can see, Neji has once again put up his impassable shield of eternal coldness as he is in public..but of course...(waves to Tenten) he can still be affected by Tenten...

Tenten: (makes puppy face and smiles oh-so-ever-cutely at Neji)

Neji: What now? Stop it...Tenten (kinda smiling kinda frowning now)

BL: See, there you have it, Tenten is the only one who affects this Hyuuga this way.

Neji: ...you are within my field of Divination..."

Bl: Oh shit...


	2. Chp 2 Beef Ramen & Tenten's Pants

**Chp 2 Beef Ramen & Tenten's Pants (You know you like 'em)**

After dropping off what was left of Lee (who would normally would perform quite well against either Neji or Tenten, but he stood no chance against _both_ of them, especially when they both were pissed) in the morgue— I mean— hospital, Tenten and Neji walked back to Konoha and went straight to Ichiraku…Or more like Tenten used her puppy face to persuade the stony Hyuuga to come with her (she happened to be broke as well, which is probably due to the fact she has no family and lives alone and needs a job and is only 15 (Author takes a deep breath and exhales).

This is how it went…

"Neji-san, can we go to the Ichiraku's? We've been training for about two days straight because you wanted to make up for the training you missed from that mission…not that we really needed to make it up after two days of non-stop stalking strangers, fighting against insurmountable odds (which, thanks to you freaks, we won), and running for our lives, but I was nice enough to agree with you, so can we please just go get some ramen?"

Tenten frowned as she walked beside Neji. He had his stone visage in place again, now that they were in public. It was like talking to a brick wall. Well, brick walls weren't so good looking. They also couldn't kick quite as much ass as Hyuuga Neji.

"Well?"

"No. Food is for the weak."

"Come on Neji, you know you're hungry too! Smell that luscious scent of mouth-watering ramen, can you? I know you like that curry-ramen, smell thoses spices, that chicken and potato curry on ramen, oh baby!"

"Hn." He continued walking. Tenten's shoulders slumped a bit.

She didn't know whether to take this as a yes or a no. So she, being the cute, little assertive girl that she was, asked again. "So, can we?"

"Hn," was the reply.

"Come on, Neji-chan…I'm letting you buy me, a nice, kind, sweet, gentle, caring girl, some lunch. So how 'bout it? It'd make other guys jealous!"

"Hn…" He continued walking, unfazed at the prospect of going out to lunch with Tenten.

"Respond, damn you!"

"No Tenten, I do not want to go to lunch right now."

"Neji-_kun_?" She tried using "kun".

"…Food is for the weak…" replied Neji once more, though secretly he was struggling with his hormones again on the inside. _She just called me Neji-kun…STOP IT!_

Tenten could feel her stomach shrinking, growling loudly as they walked past a group of little five-year olds eating big, greasy burgers. She slouched forward, groaning.

"Neji…I know you're not that cruel…please? Do this for me?" She hopped lightly in front of him, stopping him. His piercing gaze traveling up and down her. _Must resist urge to smack him one…!_

Tenten then proceeded to make herself as small, cute, timid, and cuddly as possible, with HUGE eyes. Her infamous puppy face.

Neji looked at her unemotionally, not showing any expression. ON the inside, he was thinking, _STOP THAT TENTEN! STOP SCREWING AROUND WITH MY HORMONES! CAN'T HOLD THEM OFF ANY…LONGER! ARGH SHE'S TOO CUTE!_

He bit his lip, and then relented, giving a small nod to the oh-so-cute chibified-Tenten. She jumped up joyfully like a small child. The urge to smile in delight was now becoming more and more unbearable. He needed to stop Tenten from acting all-cute right now.

"Let's go now."

"Oh, right, sorry!"

She smiled at him. He had just lost the battle. He returned the smile with an odd twitch. She blinked happily at his newfound public expression. A pair of girls walking past them were gaping at Neji. Very few people ever saw Neji smile. Very few actually lived long enough to tell of it.

_Why did I smile?_

One of the girls ran into a lamp post and the other a loaded trash barrel. Amusingly enough, neither Tenten or Neji noticed. Tenten was too happy about the idea of eating, and Neji was, well, being Neji.

* * *

Ten minutes of leisurely walking later, they were sitting atop stools at the Ichiraku, Naruto's favorite place in the whole wide world. And sure enough, blondie-boy was sitting atop a stool with several empty bowls of ramen sat on the counter near him. Tenten did a quick count and estimated he had eaten at least twelve bowls. She whistled.

"Naruto, how do you always manage to pay for all this?"

He looked up, a mouthful of ramen noodles hanging down. "Wag ge sahhh?"

"Pardon me?"

He swallowed, "What did you say?"

"Where'd you get the money to pay for all that?"

"Uh…I know the owner's daughter?"

Tenten cocked an eyebrow, and then turned back to Neji, or where she thought he had been sitting. A note was left on the stool with some money.

_Tenten,_

_I've gone back to the training grounds, as I have no need for food currently. Here is enough to buy you lunch. I expect you back within half an hour._

_Neji_

She crushed the sudden urge to break something right now, as she ordered her lunch of beef ramen with the money from Neji.

She glared angrily at nothing in particular as she sipped her at her steaming ramen. _Idiot…leaving a girl alone just like that…it's no wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend…_

Naruto looked at her fearfully as he slowly edged away from her. She was glaring into a space on the opposing wall inside Ichiraku as she sipped away at her bowl of ramen. Her expression was scaring him. _Wow, Tenten looks like she's about to snap and start killing people…eeep! SHE'S LOOKING AT ME! God, women ARE SO FREAKING SCARY LIKE THIS!!!!_

Tenten blinked in surprise when she looked at Naruto to ask him if he saw Neji leave, when he leapt off his stool as though burned and ran away screaming, "BLOODY MURDER!"

"What?"

The girl at the counter turned to her and said, "Your boyfriend went off somewhere…tsk, boys these days, they're so rude, leaving a girl all alone just like that. Well, at least he left money to foot the bill, right?"

Tenten nodded and sighed in agreement as she picked up her chopsticks.

* * *

Twenty-nine minutes and 50 seconds later, at Neji's secret lair—err — training grounds, Neji meditated under the cool shade of a tree. Of course, meditating usually did not include having a vein pulsing visibly on your forehead. She was going to be late.

Why didn't he follow that new fad? Wearing a watch? Why not?…Because he didn't like jewelry. Of course, Tenten would most likely say something similar, but more along the lines of, "I'm not one for pretty things, Neji, unless of course, they're pretty useful…"

He was alone, so it was safe to… "WHERE IS THAT DAMN GIRL?"

Ah yes, it felt good to get the stress out of his chest. He stood, thursting his chest out nad planting his hands on his hips. Yes, it felt so good ot be alive. Suddenly Tenten's head popped down right beside his ear and yelled, "Hi Neji-kun!"

Hyuuga Neji screamed like a girl that day.

* * *

Somewhere in Konoha Village, Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata, Ino, and several other Chuunins were joking around.

"Did you hear that scream? Sounded like a some girl was being molested…"

Kiba frowned at the sky. Hinata looked worried. "I-I t-think that was N-Neji…"

Everyone present began laughing their heads off. "That was a good one Hinata!"

Shikamaru scratched his head. _But Hinata knows her cousin well enough…I think…she's not one to joke…ugh, so troublesome… _

_

* * *

_

"Tenten?"

"Yes Neji-_kun?_" She smirked mischievously

"Never aga—"

She smiled that adorable smile again. It was made even more alluring by the fact she was hanging upside down from a tree with her face inches away from his. And yet another strong desire swelled up within him. _I kinda of want to grab her face and kiss it…WTF IS WRONG WITH ME????_ (A/N: It's called delayed puberty, Neji)

_Wait a second…how did she sneak up on me like that? Must've not paid attention while screaming…_

"…Tenten…please remove yourself from the tree…"

"Yes sir!" She laughed and leapt daintily from the tree, landing neatly beside him.

"You're 3 seconds late…"

"Really? I never noticed!" She laughed again. She was starting to scare Neji.

"Tenten? Are you feeling okay?" He was getting kind of concerned for Tenten's sanity. She wobbled slightly, as though…

"Tenten? Are you drunk?" _Wait a sec…she can't drink yet…_

"Huh? Why would you think that?" She straightened up.

"You're laughing…that's new…"

"What's wrong with laughing?" She tilted her head curiously.

"…" He frowned at her, "Ah, never mind now…back to training…PREPARE YOURSELF"

And with that, he whipped up his fist to punch Tenten in the stomach. She didn't raise her arm to block as he had expected, and as he had been using a decent amount of force…

BAM!

Tenten cried out in pain as she flew backwards. Neji stood there stupidly, his brain working frantically to work out what had just happened. _You were beginning to spar…you threw a punch…at Tenten…stupid forgot to block…damn brain so slow today! And…and…she's…?_

Another shout of pain rang through the air as Tenten slammed against a tree.

"Oh shit," He cried, racing over to her side "TENTEN ARE YOU OKAY?"

_I HURT HER I HURT HER OH MY GOD I AM SUCH A FSKING ASSHOLE! ARGH HOW COULD I HURT TENTEN? …How did I hurt her?_ He frowned. He definitely thought Tenten

She opened one eye, trembling, "M-My shoulder…it h-hurts like hell…I think I broke my w-wrist! W-Why N-Neji why?" The sight of her, so hurt and hopeless, nearly shattered his heart. Neji was going to have nightmares about this from now on.

Neji quickly swept her up bridal-style and streaked off into the forest, as his conscience picked up a kunai and started stabbing at his heart strings.

Tenten smirked happily as she snuggled against Neji's chest as he ran through the forests of Konoha carrying her. _Wow…did he really believe that I would get injured that easily? _

Tenten had to bite hip lip to keep from bursting out laughing. The sight on his face was classic. Too bad she didn't have a camera. Though she did admit, she was enjoying the ride for the time being.

* * *

Lee finally woke up with a gasp. "I NEED FRESH AIR!"

Streaking out of the hospital, he ran towards where Tenten and Neji usually trained. Leaping into the upper levels of the forest, he jumped swiftly from branch to branch. _I must TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN— _WWHACK!

Lee slammed heavily into Neji, who happened to be carrying Tenten in his arms. Tenten almost screamed a little at the impact. He gave a gasp of surprise as Tenten's limp body slipped from his arms, and then he and Lee soon followed her plummeting down towards the forest floor.

"NOOOO TENTEN I MUST SAVE YOU!" (That was Lee, Neji, Neji is still wondering how the hell brow-boy caught him off guard, all the while dropping through the air like a rock)

Lee immediately spearheaded through the air towards Tenten.

Tenten, reacting swiftly, spun around and fired out chakra strings from her fingertips, wrapping around Neji, Lee, and several branches. In a split second they immediately stopped falling as they were violently stopped in midair. Tenten gritted her teeth as the jerk nearly tore her fingers off. She hung there, sighing in relief. And to think the day had been going so well for her. Neji Hyuuga actually apologized. She swayed glumly with the wind as she hung dozens of meters above the vegetated forest grounds. _How did that happen?_

"…I thought you were injured…"

Tenten looked up at the two boys around her. Neji looked like he had been wrapped in a cocoon, while Lee looked rather blue. She then noticed that the strings were choking him. With a though, the strings attached to her left hand dissipated, and she felt her aura reabsorb the lost chakra.

Time slowed. Lee spun out of the rapidly disappearing threads that had choked him, and then he plummeted. In slow motion, Tenten watched Lee come down, down, down past her. She saw his face, a look of utmost horror. He was shoulder level with her, then waist, and then leg, and then…Lee reached out with his amazing agility and grabbed the leg of Tenten's pant. His other hand shot out and gripped her other pant leg. This stopped his momentum for a brief moment, but he soon continued falling.

Lee fell down, but with the help of Tenten's pants, he hooked onto a nearby branch and swung onto it neatly. When he looked up at the two still hanging there, he quickly diverted his gaze, blushing furiously. He would later run 500 laps, do 1000 push-ups, and 1000 sit-ups to make up for his folly, which cost Tenten much of her dignity and reputation.

Tenten felt heat rising to her cheeks after realizing what had just happened. Lee had just relieved her of her pants (fortunately she was still wearing her underwear and really short, tight shorts). She looked up and saw Neji scrunching his eyes closed, but he was blushing furiously as well. She then noticed that her shirt had been ripped in the brief encounter. It revealed more than she would have preferred. Apparently that had been the first thing Neji saw. Neji was still keeping his eyes closed tightly and muttering something about hormones or something.

She closed her eyes, shook violently, opened her mouth, and did what any self-respecting kunoichi would do; she let loose a glass-shattering scream which echoed through the forest.

Immediately, about a dozen ANBU appeared around them to give assistance.

"What is the matter? Attack?" All of the ANBU stopped and looked upwards

When they took one look at Tenten, all of the males immediately bowed their heads down embarrassedly as one. Tenten grew even redder, as she hung there with one hand supporting both her and Neji. The female shinobis reacted quickly and leapt up to help Tenten. The deftly scaled the trees, leaping up and around. One quickly snatched Tenten's pants from the cringing Lee, and another grabbed Tenten's spare hand and pulled her towards a branch. Tenten quickly whipped on her pants with one, flushing crimson. _T-This is a-a n-nightmare…c-can't be happening!_

A few minutes later, Tenten had thanked the ANBU and was standing silently next to a tree. Lee was hiding in a bush, fearful that Tenten might seek vengeance. Neji was sitting against the same tree Tenten was standing near, his eyes shut

Neji was definitely freaked out. First, Lee and caught him off guard, then he dropped Tenten, was saved by Tenten, and ended up looking down her shirt. He was trying to meditate, but funnily enough, he couldn't concentrate. Certain pulse-raising images flashed through his mind. He stood up stiffly, placed both hand on the trunk of the tree, and proceeded to smash he head against the tree, causing Tenten, on the other side, to jump up several meters in fright. Tenten had already looked as though she had seen a ghost and was shaking quietly.

Lee jerked awake, just as Tenten fainted. Two things happened at once; Neji looked around the tree at Tenten sudden movement, and lee jumped out ready to catch her unconscious body. Neji did likewise, and once again, the three collided, with poor Tenten being squashed between Neji and Lee. She was going to wake up with one hell of a headache.

end chp 2

Tenten: ...You had Lee rip my pants off...I can't believe you...(pulls out a kunai)

BL: ...Lee agreed to it in the first place!

Lee: But Tenten, I needed to grab something, and if I tried to grab you shirt, I would...well...grab...(blushes and shuts up)

Neji: I see nothing wrong with that...

Tenten: PERVERT! (Slaps the living daylights out of Neji)

Lee: 0.0 oh the horror! Even my esteemed rival, Hyuuga Neji cannot stand against Tenten's powers! TEACHME OH MASTER OF LETHAL BEAUTY!

Tenten: o.0 I don't think so

BL: ...yeah...anyways -.-'


	3. Chp 3 I Require Medical Attention, Dr Hy...

Thx to everyone who reviewed

Disclaimer: ...If I owned Naruto, Tenten would play a major role, and Neji would kick more ass, with Tenten

**Chapter 3**: I Require Medical Attention, Dr. Hyuuga

Tenten woke up in the hospital bed, with Neji and Lee sitting sleeping on either side of her, their heads resting on their arms. _Ungh…my head hurts…last thing I remember…was getting hit by both of these dolts_. She lifted the bed covers slightly and realized that she was wearing only a thin medical robe. She frowned. _Where are my weapons?_ Not the normal girl, her first thoughts were on not clothing but weapons.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Tenten was instantly blinded by a flash of light accompanied by a large PING!

"Tenten! My ETERNAL FLOWER OF BEAUTY! I am glad that you are well…for we must TRAIN!"

He made another mighty-guy pose.

"Sensei, I can't see…close your mouth, it's blinding me." She winced in the bright light.

Lee woke up next to find his idol standing at the doorway.

"GAI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI!"

"IDIOT BOY!" With a large smash he piledrived Lee through the hospital wall. Unfortunately for Lee they happened to be on the top floor of the hospital.

"NOOOOO GAAAI SENSEI!" He screamed as he for the second time in one day plummeted towards the ground. Gai leapt after him, calling out, "YOU WILL DO 500 laps, do 1000 push-ups, and 1000 sit-ups…and after that 500 MORE LAPS AROUND KONOHA! FOR EMBARRASSING A GIRL, OUR OWN YOUTHFUL TENTEN, IN PUBLIC AND ENDANGERING HER LIFE YOU MUST SWEAAAAAAAaaaaaaat!"

Tenten watched from the hole as Gai and Lee grew smaller and smaller as they dropped down through the air, turning into small flecks of color on the hospital grounds. Lee's fleck landed with a land POOf and a cloud of dust while Gai's fleck, there was no poof surprisingly. She whistled. "Nice jump…"

"Tenten…your…um…backside is…uncovered."

Tenten flushed crimson and whipped around, clasping two behind her to pull the edges of the robe together whilst glaring furiously at Neji, who was now awake and sitting cross-legged on her bed. _Her _bed.

"YOU PERVERT GET OFF MY BED!"

Neji smirked and merely closed his eyes, mockingly. He received a knuckle sandwich right in the face for his daring, courtesy of Tenten.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hinata slowly made her way up the stairs. _Why is Neji-san in the hospital?_ She paused at the door to where the kind nurse had said the Hyuuga boy had been staying. She suddenly heard sounds of movement coming from inside. Trembling, she pressed her ear against the cold metal of the door. What she heard would scar her for life. 

"ARGH NEJI STOP IT!"

"Why? You punched me…"

"HEY NOT THERE DON'T TOUCH!"

"AHH TENTEN KEEP THAT TO YOURSELF!"

"DAMMIT PULL IT OUT NOW!"

"It won't come out…"

A loud thud, followed by sounds of wrestling.

"Aieeee NEJI! Put that back in me now!"

"Sorry Tenten."

"And PULL THAT OUT!"

Hinata's eyes widened.

"I'm going to hurt you if you don't pull it out now…"

"Whatever you say Tenten…just stay still…"

"Uhhnnn…ah…Neji…"

Hinata leapt away from the door in shock. Neji-niisan would never have. No that was impossible. He would never do that…especially to Tenten, his best friend… But Hinata knew she had to save Tenten, even if it meant going against her own cousin.

"NEJI-NIISAN LEAVE TENTEN-SAN ALONE!"

Hinata bowled through the door, preparing to use her Gentle Fist Jyuuken on Neji if needed. What she saw stopped her in her tracks.

Neji was resting amid the ruins of what had been a cabinet, clutching what appeared to be one of Tenten's signature kunai's in his hand. He looked a little shaken.

Tenten was actually sitting atop her bed grinning madly as she played with a medical senbon.

"W-What happened?"

"Neji tried to piss me off, so I threw a kunai I found on the ground at him, and he deflected it into the heart beat sensor thingy…" She gestured to the smoking remains of what had been a medical device that displayed a patients heart pulse.

"I was yelling at him to pull it out." Tenten leapt off the bed and walked over to the dazed Neji. "But Neji-san here slipped while pulling out the kunai? Didn't he?" She patted Neji on the head, receiving a groan of pain. "He also pulled my IV tube out in the process…and I yelled at him to get it and put it back in, or at least give it to me."

"Tenten…I think I sat on something…"

She helped him up. "So that's where my coffee mug went…"

"Hinata-sama, what are you doing here?"

"Dunno, she came in here screaming at you to stop doing whatever you were doing…"

Hinata blushed and bowed lowly to the ground. "I-I'm really sorry for interrupting your t-time together!"

"Ah no problem Hinata-san, you're like a sister to me…after all, you're Neji's cousin…" Tenten beamed at Neji, who grunted, clutching his aching head.

Hinata smiled and ran out the door, leaving Tenten and Neji alone.

* * *

Naruto walked down the street towards Ichiraku. _Just around the corner…gotta have ramen after such an exhausting mission…_

He turned the corner, and…was struck by a lavender blur. He could see Ichiraku in the distance, as he was bowled over. In slow motion, he opened his mouth and screamed, "NoooOOOOO!" as the distance between him and his beloved Ichiraku was once again lengthened.

He landed in the middle of the street with something warm clutching him around his midsection. He looked down and saw that he had instinctively grabbed a hold of who struck him. Lavender hair moved as he looked into deep, pearl-colored eyes.

"Hinata-chan! What's up?" He cracked a foxy grin at her, the whole bumping incident forgotten.

"Ah, s-sorry for running I-into you N-Naruto-san…" Hinata began changing colors as she realized that she was lying on his chest with his arms wrapped around her waist. _OHMIGOD! _Hinata didn't know whether to cry, scream, or laugh. She decided to blush and attempt jump back with her dignity in one piece. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, as you'll probably say) Naruto's arms were still wrapped around her.

Of course, then they realized that a small crowd had gathered around them. They were whispering…

"It's the Hyuuga heir…and that demon…"

"Why on earth is Hinata with that beast?"

"What is he doing to her?"

"NARUTO? WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING TO POOR HINATA? …You lucky bastard…"

Naruto looked up and saw none other than his good 'ol Ero-sensei, Jiraiya.

* * *

Tenten had finally gotten properly dressed (She also reminded herself to either buy a belt or a sash to prevent anything of great caliber from happening). She had kicked Neji out of the room, though she had a sudden fear that Neji had been using his Byakugan for his own…entertainment. She shook her head as she gathered her weapons. _No…Neji's too polite, he would never do that…he wouldn't have the guts to…_

She walked out the door and saw Neji sitting across from the door, meditating. Or sleeping. Probably sleeping, she never saw him nodding his head while meditating. Tenten grinned as she sat down in front of Neji. She wonder how long it would take him to wake up and notice her.

She mused about him, who was he to her? Just a teammate? A sparring partner? One of the few friends she had, as she had never fit in with the other girls and their boy-chasing hobbies. She noticed that he treated her differently. He tended to ignore people he deemed weak, but he treated her like an equal. _The great Hyuuga Neji…sees me as an equal…never really stopped to think how much that really means…_

She remembered one of the few times she had gotten sick…about when their cell had been newly formed…she barely knew Neji at that time...

* * *

Flashback (A/N everyone loves flashbacks, right?) 

Tenten twisted and turned in her bed. Her head felt like it was splitting open. And she was burning up. With a gasp of pain she managed to sit up. She promptly fell back down gasping. Gritting her teeth, she thought about what Neji and Lee would say if she missed training. She shuddered at the thought of Neji's reaction. Coughing fiercely, she shifted to another side, unable to bear the headache that was tearing at her mind.

She was afraid that he would call her weak for getting sick. She hated being called weak. But she was also afraid that Naji might just disown her as a friend and teammate. She shook her head, trying to clear herself of such disheartening thoughts.

She curled up into a ball, shivering. She was both burning and freezing at the same time. _I don't even know any one of my team's phone numbers!_

She was about to start crying in self-pity when the door to her tiny apartment flew open, and there standing, was none other than _The_ Hyuuga Neji. With a pissed expression on his face, and his arms crossed against his chest.

Tenten could feel the deadly aura emanating from him. He wanted to kill something, someone. That someone might just be _her_! She whimpered softly and curled up even more, hugging her pillow to her chest. Neji, who had been standing like a statue for about two minutes, jerked around and headed towards her bed stiffly. He paused at the front of the bed, glaring down at the mess that was Tenten. She quickly hid her face in her pillow, sobbing in fear of the expected beating.

"Tenten…?" His voice was icy with anger and impatience. "We were waiting at the grounds for about two hours…and you didn't show up…"

Tenten responded by burying deeper into her pillow.

"Why did you not come?"

"N-Neji-san I-I'm so sorry I j-just wasn't feeling too we—"

She coughed violently into her pillow, her body shivering. His eyes widened in surprise. "You're sick."

"I-I'm sorry…"

Tenten closed her eyes and awaited judgement, but it never came. Instead, she heard him walk over to her small kitchen and turn on the faucet. About five minutes later Tenten heard him walk back to her.

"Tenten, sit up…here." Dizzily, she looked up from the pillow. He sat onto the bed, next to her huddled form, and in his outstretched hand held out a warm, steaming cup of tea. He no longer had a condescending frown on his face; instead, he had a serious, but caring look on his face, his unblinking eyes asking whether she was okay or not. Was this the real Hyuuga Neji? The Merciless Genin Prodigy of Konoha?

Tenten blinked several times, before registering the welcoming cup, and cautiously reached out and took it from his hand. She looked into his eyes. The pearly-whites gazed unmoving back at her. But they weren't cold anymore. They were, she didn't know how to describe it properly, friendly? Or warm? Caring definitely. Tenten had to actually see it to believe it.

"Arigatou gonzai masou…Neji-san…"

He nodded, as he watched her sip slowly at the cup. He sat there, on her bed, watching her drink the whole cup for the whole time. Just sitting there, staring at her, examining her. When she started coughing, he actually reached over and patted her back gently.

Tenten was a mixture of confused emotions. No one had ever treated her this way. She had always had to take care of herself, act independently, with no family, no clan to support her. She didn't even know her surname. And the one taking care of her was the one she'd least expect to do so. Hyuuga Neji. She grew hotter, and she was sure it wasn't because of the illness.

He took the empty cup caringly from her trembling hands and took it to the sink, his long, dark hair swishing from side. He returned to find Tenten dressing herself.

"H-Hold on Neji I'll come, I feel a bit better!"

"Tenten, get back in bed…now." He stood still, looking at her struggling to put on a sweater. _She's never really worn long sleeves…she's definitely still sick…_

"Neji, I'm fine, anyways, I have to make up to you for making you guys wait."

"You don't look fine." Neji noted that she was both sweating and shivering at the same time. And she was deathly pale.

Tenten walked past Neji towards the door, strapping on her weapons pouches and grabbing her kidachi off the table. But then at the door, she felt light-headed, and she blanked out briefly, wobbling drunkenly for a few seconds, before falling backwards.

The next thing Tenten knew, Neji and appeared behind her and caught her. She sighed in relief and closed her eyes, leaning against Neji for support. He held her by the shoulders, as she sagged slowly to the floor.

He sat down, and let her rest her head his chest. There, she began to fell asleep, resting between Neji's legs. He smirked. "Tenten…shouldn't have spent all day training in the rain…" He held her loosely, taking in the faint scent of her hair. _Just a sparring partner…heh…she kinda smells like strawberries….? _

"I'm…sorry…" came the dim reply. She was definitely in no shape nor form to go anywhere. He just held her tighter.

"Hn." After he was sure she was asleep, he picked her up carefully and placed her on her bed, and then drew the covers over her.

"Get well soon…else who have I to spar with? Definitely not Lee..."

* * *

Back to the present now… 

Gingerly, she reached out to touch his cheek. _We're just friends though…right? He looks so peaceful_… She blushed at her thoughts, as she realized that she may be feeling more than just friendship for this one Hyuuga.

He snapped awake at her touch, and the next thing Tenten knew, she was on the floor, with a kunai pressed against her neck and a panting Hyuuga holding her down. Neji blinked, finally becoming aware of his surroundings. He jumped off her and pulled her to her feet and dusted her off.

"Sorry, I just…dozed off…"

She looked at him queerly. "Neji, are you sure you don't want to take the day off? I mean we've been training for over twenty-four hours straight, and looks to me that the effects are starting the make their presence known."

She smiled and reached out with her hands. He flinched an asked, "Tenten, what are you doing?"

"Adjusting your hitae silly, its about to fall over your eyes…" She played around with the headband until she was satisfied with its straightness. She blushed slightly when she noticed Neji smiling at her.

"So you're my mother now?"

"N-No I-I just—" She blushing madly and staring at her feet embarrassedly

"Hn…" He turned and began heading down the hospital stairs. He stopped when she didn't follow.

"Tenten, are you coming or not?"

"Yes…I am…" She walked over to him and smiled as they walked side by side.

"OHMIGOD IT'S NEJI-KUN!"

Tenten's immediate thought. _Should I use my shuriken…or my kunai this time? Anh, I'll use my kidachi…_

Neji's immediate thoughts. _NOOOOO NOT THEM! STUPID FAN-GIRLS! TENTEN! DEFEND ME AT ALL COSTS!

* * *

_

Meanwhile, in the squirrel-infested forests of Fire Country, Lee was running his 475th lap around Konoha with Master Gai. Lee was still energetic, screaming "I TRAIN FOR YOU TENTEN I TRAIN FOR YOU TENTEN!" at the top of his lungs. Master Gai ran at his heels, screaming encouragements from behind.

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT! LET TENTEN KNOW THAT YOU ARE TRULY SORRY, AND THE YOUTHFULNESS OF YOUR FRIENDSHIP WILL BE RESTORED!"

A piercing scream re-shattered the pre-shattered peace of nature surrounding the two shinobis. They glanced at each, and immediately took identical good-guy poses, their teeth flashing in the sun with a PING!

Several blinded sparrows ran into trees and crumpled to the ground.

"A DAMSEL IS IN DISTRESS! WE SHINOBI OF KONOHA MUST GO AND RESCUE HER!"

"YES GAI-SENSEI! I WILL DO MY BEST AND SAVE THE DAMSEL OR DO ANOTHER 500 LAPS!"

The two followed the scream to a clearing, where two dozen cloaked ninjas surrounded a young girl. Lee's jaws met the earth.

The slender girl was AMAZINGLY beautiful, with her long silky hair tied up into a long ponytail.

Gai looked at the group, then back at Lee, and then the group. He smiled as a idea formed in his head.

"Lee! This is your mission, protect that girl at all costs! I will watch from the sidelines as you prove your skills to me. This is a test. NOW GO!"

"HAI SENSEI! OPENING LOTUS TECHNIQUE!"

Lee went promptly into overdrive, and he was already a couple meters away from the ninjas when they noticed the demon blur.

The blur barreled through three shinobi, sending them flying away in opposite directions. The blur then whisked the girl away.

Lee stopped at the other side of the clearing and set the girl down.

"Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, thank you…" She looked into Lee's eyes, "Who are you?"

"I am the proud blue beast of Konoha, here to protect you with my life!"

end chp3

BL: So people, how do you like 'em apples?

Tenten: I like strawberries

Neji: And I like the way you smell like strawberries.

Lee:I like coconuts...

Tenten: o.0

Neji: 0.o

Bl: --' yeah anyways, please review people, cuz it makes my day...

Tenten: I lub you... (draws closer to Neji)

neji: I lub you too... (wraps arms around Tenten)

BL: Uh guys? ...that's not in the script...

Lee: 0.0 must...take...notes

BL: Oh yeah, and you'll get to see Lee kick more ass next chappie...and yes this is LeeOC, and yes there is naruhina...

Tenten: Neji-kun...(sighs)

Neji: Ten-chan...(sighs)

BL: WILL YOU TWO STOP IT?

Tenten: ...Shall i Neji?

Neji: Together i think...HANDS OF HAKKE

Tenten: (uses chakra strings to tie up BL)

BL: T-T noooooo i'm too young to dieeeeeee...


	4. Chp 4 My Name Is Hitomi

Yeah, this is where I go like, "y'all rock" XD

Moonlightpath: Really? Yes, Dr. Hyuuga sounds rather professional, doesn't it?

Hibiyuru: Glad you liked it lol

Viko-chan: Kinda liked it? Lol well I guess that's a start XD

Japponess: not joking, Lee will get a girlfriend…somehow…someway…sometime…

Copy: Lee Blue Beast…Gai Green Beast…XD

Harukakanata: Yes! NEJI-TENTEN PWNZ ALL! XD and naruhina is nice too

Dokidoki: Updating as requested

R.K.R.: well here's more XD

LiL-DoNkEy: Really? Thanks, updating as requested

Hikyaku: XD only Tenten can perform that technique lol PUPPY-FACE! updating as requested

OkonomiyakeUcchan: Yes, there needs to be more Lee stuff out there too thx, and updating as requested lol.

And Thx to anyone else who reviewed (the ones here are those who reviewed the last chp lol XD)

Disclaimer: I wish T-T if I owned Naruto…you'd all be pretty freaked out…

* * *

Chp 4 My name is Hitomi

She gaped at him. _Who is this boy? He's powerful…very strong…looks only…my age? …Interesting…_

"Thank you for rescuing me…my name is," she paused for a second, seemingly reluctant to give away her identity, "Hitomi…Usaga Hitomi…"

He grinned widely, giving her the super-man pose. "I am ROCK LEE!"

"Nice to meet you, Lee-san…" She looked over his shoulder. "Um, Lee-san, those ninjas…"

Lee spun and streaked towards the enemy group. One ran out to oppose him, taking out a massive battle-axe. He swung, but Lee was way too fast for him. Lee almost leisurely swerved around the massive blade and ducked under the man's arms. The man was sent flying upwards with painful kick to the jaws. Leaping after him, Lee performed a horizontal 360 spin kick and plowed the man into the ground, unconscious. The rest of the group stood stunned as they watched their friend get ploughed into the earth within three seconds.

Snapping out of their stupor, they rushed Lee. Lee disappeared in a puff of smoke, and appeared in the midst of them, grinning madly. He leapt here and there, dealing bone-crushing blows to all who opposed him. Finishing the last two with a lightning quick scissor kick, he landed on a knee. In a mere fifteen seconds he had defeated the rest of the missin-nins. _YES! ANOTHER VICTORY FOR THE BLUE BEAST!_

Lee proceeded make a good-guy pose in the middle of the all the groaning bodies towards the girl, who smiled at him happily.

Lee then turned around and flashed another smile in the direction of his sensei, who flashed him a thumbs-up from behind the trees.

Lee then ran back to the girl. "So, Hitomi-san, are you injured? Hurt? What exactly were they trying to do?"

"Um, I'm fine…truth betold, I was actually doing fine before you arrived. But I thank you anyways. I am impressed, you are by far the most adept Taijutsu master I have ever seen…"

Lee beamed proudly, puffing out his chest. "Yes, I have been training all my life, but I am still no where near as strong as my sensei, the one and only MAITO GAI! HE IS THE GREEN BEAST OF KONOHA!"

* * *

Gai grinned to himself as he leaned against the tree. _I am the greatest! And I'm handsome too!

* * *

_

Hitomi smiled, amused by the Taijutsu prodigy's antics.

"One minute, what was that about not needing saving?"

"I could have taken cared of myself actually." She smiled mischievously.

"But then…what about that scream?"

She pointed at a body which lay some distance apart from the other bodies. "The fool tried to touch me after I warned them to leave, so I broke his neck."

Lee, unperturbed by her answer and composed tone of voice, grinned at her. "That is even better! You must also be a Taijutsu expert! Come let us train together, while you tell me about yourself, and I tell you about myself…how does that sound?"

"I accept your invitation." She smiled cheerfully as Lee punctually did another good-guy pose, complete with PING-ing teeth, and raced away towards his sensei. She quickly followed.

* * *

Tenten sat on a tree branch happily eating a box of bento. Neji had bought it for her as an apology for his and Lee's stupidity when it came to understanding women, as well as for the pulling-down-pants-and-looking-down-shirt incident.

"You know Neji…if you and Lee did that to another girl, you two'd probably be in jail for assault…" said Tenten vaguely. She picked up and piece of egg. "You sure you don't want some?"

"Shut up and eat your bento, Tenten." He grimaced. She ignored him and continued eating and chatting

"…So I take it that Hiashi hasn't taught you how to treat girls eh? To imagine, a Hyuuga, 17 now, no manners…all hormones…tsk tsk…you need a girlfriend…"

Neji simultaneously choked on his own saliva and fell out of the tree in shock.

"OMHMIGOD NEJI ARE YOU ALRIGHT? I WAS ONLY KIDDING ABOUT THE HORMONES!"

Landing painfully on a up-reaching root, he rolled of the trunk and ended up on his back, his face contorted in agony.

"Oh…that's gotta hurt…'specially after the coffee mug…"

Neji flashed her a I-will-get-you-for-this-once-I-ice-my-wounds looks. Tenten merely smiled (not that he would admit it, but Neji loved seeing Tenten smile).

"…Hn…curse you stupid women…" he grumbled (AKA "Damn you to hell Tenten"). Tenten finished her bento at that moment and jumped down next to Neji.

"…Don't touch…me…"

"Awww, you're so sweet!" Tenten patted a paralyzed Neji on the head.

"If I could move, I would kill you now."

"I know you would, Neji-kun." She smirked and patted his head again just for the pleasure of watching him squirm.

Neji was clutching his poor tailbone as he glared into the ray of sunshine that was Tenten. _Once I regain usage of my limbs I'll tear her to…STOP SMILING DAMN YOU TENTEN!_

She continued smiling adorably, to his displeasure (…and inner pleasure). "You want a piggy-back ride?"

"No…we Hyuuga would never stoop so low as too…"

She turned and picked him up with her amazing kunoichi strength and slung him over her back (How does she do that?).

"TENTEN WHAT THE HELL? PUT ME DOWN!"

"You sure?"

"DO IT!"

She dropped him right back on top of the root.

Neji for the second time in his life screamed like a girl.

* * *

Shikamaru jerked his head upwards at the shriek coming from the forest.

"Hinata, I think you were right…that was Neji…Hinata?"

He turned and saw her sleeping on the couch. With Naruto's arm curled around her.

"Troublesome…the idiot always gets the girl…why can't we smart people get any…?" He frowned.

Chouji then came into the room with a hot girl hanging off his arm. Shikamaru procceded to scream and curse about fat people in anger and jump through the nearby window. Chouji looked out the shattered window after the screaming and dropping-like-a-rock Shikamaru.

"But I just wanted to introduce him to my cousin…"

* * *

Neji's face was contorted from a mixture of pain, shame, and stupidity as he was carried piggyback style through the streets of Konoha by the weapons master. The brunette laughed a bit, knowing she was causing her teammate the greatest humiliation possible. That is, without her resorting to killing him. He probably could have killed his reputation by trying to molest…not going there...but she'd castrate him if he ever tried, not that any self-respecting Hyuuga would of course.

"Tenten…this is killing my reputation…let me down…people are staring."

"Well, let them stare. After all, I see nothing wrong with friends helping friends!"

"How about I break your leg and carry you to the hospital?"

"Awww Neji don't be like that…"

Neji slumped his chin down on her shoulder. The Hyuuga admitted defeat. To Tenten.

_She's soft…real soft…and warm…so cuddly_

"Aie! Neji what are you doing? That tickles!" He hadwrapped his arms tightlyaround her and was nuzzling her shoulder.

_…NO STOP THINKING FOR ME DAMN YOU HORMONES!_

Neji woke up from the hormone-induced stupor as he realized they were about to reach the Hyuuga Estate. Theywere about to passa large group of giggling girls.

_Henge No JUTSU…why didn't I think of this earlier?_

Now he was a little lavender-haired girl who kind of looked like Hinata, save for her waist-long hair.

As the group of girls passed the two, Tenten and Neji could hear some interesting comments.

"You know? I actually thought Tenten was carrying Neji-kun!"

"Nah, Tenten's not interested in boys…and Neji's not interested in girls…"

"Well…if he was, I'm pretty sure he would have made a much better choice. I mean, Tenten's just like a boy, she looks like one, dresses like one, even acts like one. She's always training."

Neji whimpered slightly as he felt a dark aura rise from the girl carrying him. Oh yes, she was angry. Neji was afraid of this Tenten.

"Tenten…" he whispered, "Please, calm down…okay I'm getting off." He jumped off her back and straightened out. "Tenten…don't kill anyone."

"I won't, I just need to cause some pain…"

All over Konoha shrieks of pain could be heard for about half an hour.

* * *

Tsunade sat in her Hokage tower, drinking a bottle of sake, while absentmindedly signing some papers. She stared longingly outside the window at the sunset.

"Ahh…so beautiful…wi—"

She was cut off by several resounding cries. She pursed her lips.

"…I take it that Tenten was insulted again…"

"You got that right! She has good reason to, I mean, dang, she's hot."

Tsunade jumped a foot in the air when she heard the voice.

"JIRAIYA YOU FREAKING PERVERT DON'T YOU DARE SNEAK UP ON ME AGAIN!

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the Hokage's room ,the ANBU standing guard looked at each other through their masks.

"It's your turn to go see what's going on in there."

"I did that last time."

"I'm still recovering from her punch."

* * *

Neji (still in Henge-form) looked up at the gate to his home. Tenten stood next to him.

"You want to come in for a bit? We can also train in our estates ground…"

"Sure!"

"Hn."

The gates opened, revealing two Hyuugas on guard duty. She looked at him awkwardly, confusion apparent on their faces. One looked at the other. "It looks like one of Neji-san's teammates and some random girl who looks like Hinata-sama with long hair."

Neji glared at them. "What are you staring at?" This snapped them out of their daze, a look of dawning apprehension appeared on their faces.

"Neji-san…who is this girl?"

"A friend…she is coming in with me…"

"Of course. But Hiashi-sama wishes to speak with you."

"Hn." He walked in past them, followed by Tenten.

"You know Neji, you still have the Henge…"

"Hn."

_I was wondering why they were staring at me..._

They walked through the grounds towards the Main Branch Complex. Neji's face was contorted in fury.

After walking around the gigantic Main House building for about twenty minutes, the y stopped at a large oaken door.

"This is Hiashi-sama's room…hold our tongue, keep a proper and respectable air and posture, do not touch anything…hell don't move don't breathe."

Tenten merely gave him the Aww-Neji-you're-so-cute-I'm-gonna-smile-at-you-'til-your-blood-pressure-reaches-breaking-point look. Neji turned around and smacked his head against the opposite wall before turning back around and opening the door.

"Neji-san. I am glad you are here."

Neji saw that there were several people inside Hiashi-sama's office. Apart from Hiashi, they were all cloaked in black. Neji looked at them curiously. There was an extremely tall figure, two of average adult height, and two which were about as tall as him and Tenten.

"Neji-san, I want you to meet your fiancée."

One of the figures turned and pulled away her hood, revealing long curls of blue. She was, no other word for it, beautiful. Normally, any boy would've wet their pants by just having her look at them, but of course, Neji was not your typical boy-in-puberty. Only Tenten could affect him and that was that. But he had to admit, those long aqua tresses were quite alluring…

He blinked and shook his head, dispersing any thoughts that would result in Tenten personally castrating him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tenten's arms folded neatly behind her. He could also see her left hand twitching. Not a good sign. Her right hand also happened to be creeping slowly towards the kidachi in her belt. He kicked her lightly, hoping Hiashi wouldn't notice. Tenten blinked, snapped out of her own violent fantasy world.

Hiashi examined Tenten for a second, and then asked, "And who are you?"

Tenten just stood there, tongue-tied. Neji kicked her again. Hiashi apparently noticed, because he was frowning at Neji like, _"Neji, what the hell are you doing to the poor girl, maybe that's why you don't have girlfriend!"_

"O-Oh, um I am Tenten, Hiashi-sama…um, a member of Neji's cell."

"Ah, the weapons master. I remember you. You lost to that Sand girl in Neji's first Chuunin exam."

Neji remembered that quote. _"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…"…oh crap…_

Neji could see Tenten's right hand clasp the kidachi's hilt and handle.

Acting quickly, he retorted for her, "But she, in the next Chuunin exam, defeated all of her opponents in less than twenty seconds apiece."

Hiashi's smile widened. "Ahh yes, it is an honor to meet so skilled a kunoichi. I was shocked at how she had improved since the first."

Neji felt a wave of relieve surge through him when Tenten took her hand of the weapon. Apparently, he had shown just a little too much relief.

"Is something the matter, Neji-san?"

"No."

"Good, as I was saying, this girl, the daughter of the Hidden Rain leader, will become your fiancée. This will help ensure peace between our villages. I will let her introduce herself."

"Hello, my name is Hitomi…Usaga Hitomi of the Usaga Clan. It is a pleasure to meet you."

End chp 3

OMG IT'S HITOMI…AND SHE HAS BLUE HAIR NOW! PH34R HER AMAZING HAIR COLOR NO JUTSU

…I'll shut up now XD go and review pls


	5. Chp 5 Killer Kunoichi

Okay, I'd like to give some thx to everyone who reviewed XD (note: too lazy to do like last chap)

I will answer some questions now…

About Tenten's bloodline…as I said before…I'm still working on the plot…the story starts out on a lighter side, loaded with humor and character fun, and then gets darker and more serious as the plot comes into play…plot is still under construction XD

Tenten will discover that she is one of the last survivors to a once powerful clan destroyed in a clan war…and she will have several interesting bloodline techniques…

An OC character will come into play (well more than one…)…actually a character from my original fic, Eternal Strife on fictionpress (it needs reviews too XD i use same penname "FireDraonBL" on there as well)…and guess what? He's **truck roars on by**…yeah…anyways

Chapter 5 Killer Kunoichi

"Good, as I was saying, this girl, the daughter of the Hidden Rain leader, will become your fiancée. This will help ensure peace between our villages. I will let her introduce herself."

"Hello, my name is Hitomi…Usaga Hitomi of the Usaga Clan. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Neji nodded, with a terse, "Hn."

Hiashi, smiling turned towards the tallest figure and nodded to the person. The robed figure took off the hood to reveal an elder, yet fierce looking man, with hawk-like eyes. "I am her father, Usasga Yushi. Kage of the Hidden Rain." He looked queerly at Tenten, "And I seem to remember you from somewhere…your technique is the Sousshoryu ja?"

She nodded meekly. "Yes…I'm sorry though, I don't ever recall meeting you."

"No…but do you have any family by any chance?"

"No…I never knew my family. I'm an orphan. I have lived by mtyself all my life. Hell, I don't even know my family name." Her face was scrunched up, as though she was struggling with herself. Waging a failing war with her emotions, she was once again torn apart.

Neji cocked an eyebrow in surprise. This wasn't like Tenten. She had never talked about her family or past before, and he had once tried to ask the Third Hokage about her, but he said that he knew nothing about her, except she was an orphan raised by some of the teachers at the Academy.

She looked absolutely miserable right now. He had a sudden urge to go and give her a nice big hug, and tell her that everything was all right. _She looks so sad…_. It gave him the urge to beat someone or something up. He just had to do something. Neji immediately punched himself in the face of the onlookers.

"Neji-san?"

"Sorry, I just felt a need to do that."

Tenten had snapped out of her daze and was looking at her teammate with concern.

"Neji, are you sure you're okay?"

"Hn. What were we talking about again?"

"Your fiancée…" Hiashi examined him closely, "You know Neji, you should learn to sleep, you look half-dead."

"Hn. Is that all? I think I will leave now."

"Well, as she is your fiancée, will you show her around Konoha? She and her father will be staying in the village for diplomatic reasons…"

"Hn." And with that he turned and dragged Tenten out of the room by her arm.

* * *

Hiashi looked at the Rain kage. "So what do you think of my nephew?"

"Interesting. I see that he does not discern between males and females…"

"Yes…well about that. Well, he hasn't exactly _had_ health class or sex EDU…at least not officially…but I think he's smart enough to figure out these boy girl relationships on his own…so Hitomi-san, what do you think of your fiancée?"

"Intriguing…though I don't see why he has to be coerced into marrying me…"

"Eugenics, my daughter, eugenics…create the strongest bloodline…uniting our clan's bloodline with that of the esteemed Hyuuga Clan…and of course establish peace between our villages…"

Hiashi merely nodded, though in truth he wasn't entirely supportive of the idea. It had been the man to approach him with the offer several weeks ago. Hiashi had agreed, but that was before he noticed how attached Neji seemed to be with that teammate of his. _That kunoichi, quite pretty as well…independent…and based on her performance at their last Chuunin Exam, she can and will catch to Neji's skill…interesting…to see how this will turn out…

* * *

_

Neji dragged Tenten through the halls of the Main Branch House rather quickly, as he still wasn't the most found of the Main Branch, though he was rather found of Hinata now.

"Hey Neji…about your fiancée."

Truth betold, Neji actually hadn't been paying attention to a word Hiashi had said, apart from the ones which had offended Tenten. He only caught the words, "fiancée", "Hitomi", "relationship", and "Hidden Rain". He stopped and let go of Tenten's hand so he could brood over the words. The meaning of the words finally struck him. He eyes widened in fear. He stuffed his knuckles into his mouth quickly, to prevent himself from screaming like a girl again. _I hate my life…must go and relieve some stress…_

"Tenten…I feel the need to do some hard-core training right now…"

"Really? So do I!"

Neji was happy that his partner agreed so willingly. He was going to so pound her cute face into the ground today. He also did not know how wrong he was.

* * *

Tenten rushed at Neji, her katana held behind her back. She lashed out with her other arm, which held her prized kidachi. Neji parried with a pole staff. Spun it around and thrust the end at Tenten who spun around the end and brought both weapons around. Neji, instead of leaping backwards, smirked and zipped forward so that Tenten ended up throwing her arms around him. They were so close together now that they could bother feel each others' heart beat. He grinned at her blushing face. He then stepped on her feet and with a slight nudge, she fell over.

"W-Why you!" Her face was still flushed from what Neji had just done.

"Yes Tenten?" He smirked, standing over her.

"You!" She was so irresistibly cute when she was angry. Neji would admit that much.

"Me?" Neji cocked an eyebrow.

"ARE!" Her flushed face was glaring at him angrily.

"Am?" He held back the urge to laugh in her face.

"Very stupid…" came a familiar voice behind him.

Neji scowled as he felt Tenten's blade pressed against his neck.

"Nice job…your substitution was so fast that I had trouble seeing it…"

Tenten jumped on him and threw her arms around his shoulders, laughing.

"Well, looks like the Great Hyuuga Neji has been bested by 'lil 'ol me!"

Neji found her warmth…strange. He felt…good…with her hanging off of him and laughing. Too bad it didn't happen that often before. But it seemed to be getting more likely than not. He felt…_STOP IT WITH THOSE DAMN ERO-THOUGHTS!_

The other Hyuugas training on the grounds were eyeing the two with amusement. They ended up training till midnight. With an exhausted kunoichi falling asleep on top of an already unconscious Hyuuga Neji. The two would learn the concept of sleeping every now and then to be a very useful idea. Mainly due to the fact that they would awake with a splitting headache and lying on top of each other. At least they kept each other warm through the night. (A/N the author is laughing his ass off right now).

* * *

Meanwhile, Hiashi was watching from the window of his office. _…Maybe I shouldn't have accepted the offer…after all…I owe Neji more than he knows…they look rather cute together though…hmmm…should get someone to bring them in…

* * *

_

Naruto awoke from his peaceful slumber, not quite wanting to wake, so he kept his eyes shut tightly. _Ahhh it feels so warm this pillow! And soft…_

He squeezed it lovingly. The "pillow" started moving and emitting some groaning sounds. Naruto, not quite conscious yet, ignored them and continued to hug the "pillow". The pillow squirmed under his grasp. He then happened to wake up properly.

"HOLY MOTHER OF ALL SHIT HINATA WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED?"

Hinata (she's still half asleep too) moved so that her nose was about a millimeter away from Naruto's face. She chose that moment to open her eyes. She blinked at him, and then quickly shut her eyes.

Naruto heard her mumble to herself, "Stop this stupid dreaming Hinata…stop it now…no more dreaming!"

Naruto didn't move a muscle when she opened her eyes again. He saw her pearly-white eyes widen in fear, as though she thought she was going insane. Naruto also shared the same opinion of his mental state.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto continued staring at the shy lavender girl in his arms. He was starting to go into shock. _…Brain-dead…_

Completely out of the blue, Hinata suddenly wrapped her arms around Naruto tightly and buried her head in his chest, and he could've sworn he heard he mutter, "I guess dreaming isn't all that bad…while it lasts…"

_Well_, he thought, _at least we were still wearing clothes…and she IS warm…and cute…and…I'm hungry…must go FEED on ramen…

* * *

_

Meanwhile, Hiashi was still at the window of his office, staring blankly out at the bright moon. It was then he realized Hinata still hadn't come home. _…Maybe I should send someone out to search for her.

* * *

_

Next morning…

Shikamaru lay on his hospital bed, staring at the white ceiling. _That was probably the dumbest thing I've ever done_, he mused. _Curse you stupid teenage hormones…why did you make me so jealous of CHOUJI FOR GOD'S SAKE!_ _I should be happy for him…after all, he is my best friend…yeah, that's right…_

Chouji chose that moment to visit Shiakamaru, coming into the room with that same girl. Shikamaru suddenly had an urge to punch his juice carton through Chouji's face. _STOP IT DAMN YOU HIORMONES FROM HELL LEAVE THIS ONE GENIUS ALONE!_

"Shikamaru? Are you feeling okay? I can come back later…"

He stuffed a doughnut into his mouth, which just killed the atmosphere entirely.

Shikamaru proceeded to smash his head with his lunch tray. _NOO I WILL NOT BETRAY MY FRIEND! MUST…NOT…BE…JEALOUS!_

"Well, Shika, I'd like to introduce you to my…"

"YES I KNOW YOUR GIRLFRIEND! YOU DON'T HAVE TO GLOAT AOBUT IT!"

Chouji stared at the raging pinapple-head. He shook his head and stuffed another doughnut into his mouth.

"Actually, this is my—"

"GIRLFRIEND! I KNOW! LET'S ALL LAUGH IT OUT! Haha, Shikamaru's the only one without a girlfriend, I mean, Naruto has Hinata, Neji was making out with Tenten."

Chouji choked on a doughnut. "WHAT! NARUTO AND HINATA? AND NEJI SLEPT WITH TENTEN?"

"Haven't you heard the rumor, they were found sleeping on top of each other in the Hyuuga Training Grounds." Chouji stuffed another doughnut into his mouth.

"If they were sleeping in the Hyuuga Training Grounds, then a Hyuuga must have seen them…otherwise, no one else is allowed to enter the Hyuuga Estates."

Shikamaru waved off the last comment, "Whatever…so troublesome…gossip."

"Yeah, back to introductions…this is my cousin, Aiko. Aiko, this is Shikamaru, Chuunin and with an I.Q. of over 200."

The pretty girl bowed towards the stunned genius. It took Shikamaru's complex brain about ten seconds to realize the meaning of Chouji's words. "Oh…so…you're not his girlfriend…I see…"

She giggled, amused by his misunderstanding of the situation. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Shikamaru, " she giggled again, "Chouji here has told me all about you…"

Shikamaru seemed completely unaffected by her words. Instead, he turned to Chouji with a stern expression and stated, "She looks nothing like you."

Chouji responded by angrily stuffing two doughnuts into his mouth at once.

* * *

Tenten woke up in a large elaborate bed. Complete with a canopy overhanging. _Ohmigod…where am I? Why am I sleeping in this really, really expensive bed? My last thought was…falling asleep…ON NEJI…I woke up on top of him…he woke up…then I screamed and fainted…?_

She jumped out of the bed, and realized that she wasn't wearing her normal clothing. She was in a nightgown. _Why the hell am I wearing a gown? Argh my head still hurts…_

Note Tenten does not sleep in a nightgown. Probably in a T-shirt and underwear. No really one knows. Save all the Tenten fanboys who stalk her, but then again, I think Neji executed the last one after he tried to get a picture of Tenten in the shower. Tenten found him with the camera later on and Neji had received the beating of his life. It's funny how Neji manages to incriminate himself after saving people.

Anyways, Tenten was about to scream bloody murder, when a Hyuuga came into the room.

"Miss Tenten? Breakfast will be served in the Dining Hall in exactly fifteen minutes."

The Hyuuga then left, leaving a speechless Tenten. She fell back on the bed deep in thought. _Okay…I'm probably in one of the Hyuuga Estate guest rooms. What I want to know is what dumb prick would dare touch me and undress me and dress in a nightgown while I'm unconscious…_

A certain Hyuuga popped into her mind.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another room, Hyuuga Neji woke up, sweat dripping from his forehead. He had gotten a very chill down the spine at that moment. _I feel like someone is going to try and kill me today…wait a second…how'd I get back in my room…hmmm…I remember waking up with Tenten on me…then I fell asleep again…?

* * *

_

Tenten found her clothes beside the large bed on a small reading table. She quickly got dressed and immediately starting taking apart the room in search of her precious weapons.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Hyuuga Armory (Yes, the clan is the size of a small village, of course it has it's own armory).

"Wow, will you look at this pole arm! It must weigh at least 45 kilograms! And the blade design is magnificent! Perfect balance and weight distribution, and the with a razor-sharp end, not from being sharpened but from being hammered and folded! The craftsmanship is amazing!"

"Hey! Look at this set of kunais…unique, never seen anything like these. The blades are more elongated, giving it more piercing force when thrown."

"Hmm…I wonder who's kidachi and katana these are?"

* * *

Tenten lay on the bed, panting. She had literally torn up the expansive room in search of her weapons, and when she couldn't find them, she had to fix everything. _That stupid portrait! It's still crooked!_

The door opened, in walked none other than the great Hyuuga Neji himself.

"Ten—"

Tenten was suddenly in his face, and before he knew it, he had been sent flying back out the door with a vicious kick to the chest.

"PERVERT!"

Neji slammed into the wall and opened his eyes just in time to see Tenten pick up a table and hurl it through the door at him. He jerked to the side, narrowly avoiding the careening piece of furniture. He was always scared of Tenten in this state. It was just his luck that Tenten happened to be pissed.

"TENTEN CALM DOWN!"

He streaked inside towards her, only to be met in the face with a chair. As he lay on the ground with a bloody nose, he wondered what kind of wrong did he commit to deserve such a beating by his teammate so early in the morning. He then realized, that of all of his opponents, including that Kidoumaru character, never seemed to be as challenging an opponent as Tenten. Either that, or her skills were rising at such a remarkable pace that he couldn't do anything about it. Or maybe it was just because she really was a girl…after all, girls are near invincible when angry…

Tenten proceeded to jumps on him and knee him where it hurts most while pummeling him with series of brutal punches.

For the third time in his life and in only two days, Hyuuga Neji screamed like a girl.

This was quite similar to the time where Neji had first tried to use his Hands of Hakke on Tenten and ended up touching her breasts one too many times. She ended up catching him on 32 strikesand breaking his fingers. Neji had now learned to adjust his aim slightly, while Tenten had learned not to be so, er, touchy about sparring.

* * *

Hiashi woke up with a start as he heard a piercing shriek of pain come from the direction of the Side Branch Complex. _My lord…that sounded like Hinata…_

end chp 5

yes, this was also kinda like filler and to draw out the story...still working on damn plot XD

it'll start up in the next 3-4 chaps, i promise

now R&R


	6. Chp 6 Just Partners

Yeah…thanks for the reviews XD

Juya: there was a plot in the last few chapters? Oh, I just wrote it cuz I thought it'd be hilarious XD …Tenten will be kicking more ass soon enough…

Shirubi-chan: Screaming is good for relieving stress XD

Moonlightpath: too lazy to sign in XD just like me…hitomi is supposed to get married to neji, but a certain taijutsu master will have some doubts about that…

Japponess: …I feed on sushi…too bad it's so hard to get around here XD

Crazy-antman: updating as requested…

Great Saiyaman: thx im trying to include as many of the characters in this fic XD

Kaeru Soyokaze: yes, the pineapple-head is indeed a laughingstock XD

OkonomiyakeUcchan: more Lee to come! …neji's a hentai? XD at least he tries to control his hormones lol

Sarafu-chan: …if that happened again…actually I don't think tenten really cares now XD …of course, if he didn't do it during a spar…then she'd probably break off his hands…

Sry guys…plot will start running soon…at least the main parts…hitomi is part of the plot…sort of…

Chapter 6 Just Partners… (coughgirlfriendcoughboyfirendcough)

Somewhere on the other side of town, Hinata woke up to a warm, tingling sensation. She smiled, for some strange reason, she felt really happy. It scared her. But what ever she was hugging was warm and gave her a sense of security. She opened her eyes and looked into the chest of a one sleeping Uzumaki Naruto. _Wow, maybe my dream did come true…_

She smiled happily and snuggled her face into his chest. Apparently she was still lost in lala-land.

This movement caused Naruto to wake up. He blinked sleepily. _She's still here…_

It took him a couple of seconds to process the situation he was in. _SHE'S STILL HERE OHMIGOD!_

He jumped out of bed (actually it was the couch). Or at least tried to. He ended up hitting the wall behind him with a thud and falling back on top of Hinata, which woke her up.

"Naruto? AIEEE I-I'm so sorry!"

"For what?" He got up, scratching his head, "How exactly did we end up like this?" He sat down beside her. He could still feel the warmth of her body, the scent of her…

Naruto got up and walked to the bathroom. Hinata heard him turn on the water. After a few seconds, she heard a loud splash, and Naruto walked back in, his head dripping wet.

"Sorry needed to clear my head." He grinned at her. "Now what were we talking about again?" her was getting lost in those beautiful pearly-white orbs of hers…

"A-Ah N-Naruto-kun we were talking a-about w-what happened…y-yesterday." She started playing with her fingers. Naruto was starting to find that rather cute, but he knew that she was just a little bit too shy.

"Hmmm…lemme see…you ran into me…ero-sensei started teasing me so I chased him halfway around town with you following me…why were you following me?"

"S-Sorry N-Naruto!"

He looked at her quizzically. _Why does she always do that? I mean, what kind of self-respecting person apologizes for everything_

He scratched his head in confusion. "Hinata-chan, you really should stop apologizing for everything, I mean, you have to learn to stick up for yourself, and not let yourself get pushed around…You should be more like Neji-san, heh, he's cool, confident, sometimes a little too confident, but that's not bad. Hinata, you're really strong. If you were only a little more confident, you could probably be one of the top shinobis here…"

"T-Thank you, N-Naruto-kun….um Naruto-kun? I just wanted to say that…um, it's because of you, that I did so well at the Chuunin exam where I made to the Chuunin rank…"

Naruto looked at her in confusion. "Me?" _Well, at least she stopped stuttering._

"Yes…I have always admired…well, how you stood up to everyone. Everyone in town was always against you, but you were always smiling, and going about with life as nothing had happened. I wish I had that kind of courage…" She stared at her hands sadly.

"Hinata…just suck it up and let everyone know how strong you are. For starters, start looking people in the eye. And keep your head held high up." He beamed at her.

"Wha?"

"Hold your head up. You don't have to say anything, but as long as you look confident, no one will question your abilities. Kinda like Neji. I remember in that Chuunin…he just stared at the poor kid 'til he wet his pants and fainted…"

"Yes, Neji-san is like. He's so much better than me…I wish I could be as strong as him, but I haven't even mastered the Kaiten yet.

"Well, ask him to train with you. I'll train with you too!"

Hinata giggled softly. Naruto then added, "You know, you're cute when you smile. She immediately blushed furiously.

"T-Thank you." She smiled inwardly. "You who else I admire?"

"Who?"

"Tenten-san, Neji-niisan's teammate. She keeps up with him well. She is a very powerful kunoichi. Also, she's the only one who seems to be impervious to Neji-niisan's glare. Whenever he glares at me…I u-usually can't move…"

"Heh…the weapons master of Fire Country…I admire someone too…you remember Iruka sensei? He was the first one person to acknowledgement me not as the," Naruto realized his mistake and managed to correct himself in time, "…never mind…well he was the first person to treat me equally…he also threw his life out on the line to save me."

Hinata nodded happily. She was finally able to have a normal one-on-one chat with her long-time crush. To imagine, it took her about five years…

* * *

Lee started dancing around town. People were giving him weird looks as he sang and twirled around the streets. _Wow I'm sooooo happy! THIS MUST BE TRUE LOVE!

* * *

_

"I can't believe you actually took my clothes off…"

"What do you mean? It was one of the maids who…oh…you though I would actually…dare…"

"Didn't you?"

Neji shook his head, clutching an ice bag to his nose. "You actually…thought?"

"Yes…" Tenten flushed as she realized what Neji had said was probably true. "Oh…um…sorry?"

"Hn…" He grimaced. "Was the knee really necessary?"

"Well I-I t-thought….ohmigod I'm so sorry!"

Tenten jumped up. Neji made a half-hearted attempt to grab her, but then sat back down. _My crotch still hurts…I will decapitate her and cremate her body once I can walk._

Tenten sat back down on the bed next to him. She twiddled her thumbs, looking very sorry indeed. "Neji-san? Are you…angry at me?" He heard her sniff. That scared him.

Neji looked at her angrily. Of course that angry face lasted about two seconds against Tenten's face. _Oh no…not that…that face…_

Tenten had her puppy face on again and now her huge eyes, which now had tears forming in them. She blinked, her tears shimmering in the rays of light from the window.

Neji blinked dizzily. He was going into shock. _Must…stop…looking…at her…_

He shook his head slowly. Her face broke into her trademark smile and she glomped him.

A servant opened the door and poked his head in, opening his mouth to say something. The sight which awaited him immediately caught his tongue.

"A-A-Ah s-sorry Neji-sama! Forgive me for intruding!"

And with that, he slammed the door shut and ran off.

Tenten had jumped Neji and had her arms wrapped around his neck, and they both happened to be lying on the bed.

Neji scowled under the ice bag. _My life sucks…I need to go train some more…_

But truth betold, he was feeling rather comfortable right now, with Tenten hugging him and all.

"Tenten?"

Her steady breathing told him that she was asleep.

_Oh shit not again…but…I guess this isn't that bad…_

He soon dozed off as well.

* * *

Hiashi scanned the long tables laid out in the Hyuuga Dining Hall. Some people were missing. _Where is Neji? And Hinata?_

A servant ran over to him and whispered something in his ear.

Hiashi slumped down in his chair. _Hinata still hasn't come back…and Neji's making out with that Tenten girl…interesting chain of events…

* * *

_

Ino and Sakura chatted happily together as they walked away from the Konoha Mall.

"Did you hear about Naruto and Hinata? The got caught in the middle of PDA on the street!"

"Are you serious? Well that's great news, I mean, Naruto like blind, and Hinata never had the courage to tell the dobe about her feelings. They're so cute together!."

They giggled.

Sakura and Ino were now best of friends again after Sasuke's disappearance several years ago. "And I even heard something about Neji and Tenten hitching up."

"No, Neji? He's not interested in the opposite sex. Hell, some people think he's gay. Don't tell him I said that! And Tenten is just like him, she's not interested in anything other than training and becoming stronger. But yes, I guess you could say they would make an interesting pair."

Just then, Ino's cellphone rang. "Hold on." She took the phone out of her purse and flipped the top open.

"Hello?"

"Ino?" 

"Yah? What's up?"

"_This is Akimichi! You won't believe what Togo found in the Hyuuga estates!"_

"WHAT," she screamed, "YOU BROKE INTO THE HYUUGA ESTATES? ARE YOU OUTTA YOUR MIND?"

Passersby gave them weird glances as they walked past the two Chuunin.

* * *

Neji woke up about an hour later, yawning. Then he realized Tenten still had her arms wrapped around his neck. He also realized that they were not alone in the room.

"AH! Hiashi-sama!"

"Yes Neji?"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?"

The elder man's face broke into a grin. "I thought this was the guest room your friend was staying in…won't her parents be worried by now?"

"She told you she had no family…"

Hiashi's smile changed to a look of sympathy, "Ah yes, I remember now, I am sorry."

Neji gently removed Tenten's arms from around his neck and sat up.

"So why are you here?"

"Just heard a rumor about what you two were doing in here."

Neji felt a blush coming, but he quickly pushed it down. He glanced at Tenten's prone form beside him. _She looks so kawaii…NO I DID NOT JUST SAY KAWAII!_

He ripped his gaze from her back to Hiashi. "She's just a friend and partner, nothing more…"

"Oh really now? In that case, you still have to show your fiancée, Hitomi-chan, around town today. I suggest you get ready, since she will arrive in about ten minutes at breakfast." He got up to leave.

"So why am I engaged to her again?"

"Well, you need to produce a heir to carry on your father's legacy, and this will also strengthen ties between Konoha and the Village of the Hidden Rain."

"Hn…"

Hiashi smiled, and then looked at something above his head and nodded. Neji looked up at the ceiling but didn't see anything. Hiashi left and closed the door gently behind him. Neji fell back against the softness of the bed. _Argh, today is gonna suck…_

He breathed in deeply and then exhaled. Neji then heard a soft giggling sound. He sat straight up and looked around. He didn't see anyone.

Suddenly, almost like déjà vu, Tenten's face, upside down, popped out about 2 centimeters from his face.

He managed to stifle his girly shriek of horror this time though.

"So you were awake the whole time."

"Yes!" She giggled. With a yank. Neji pulled her roughly off the canopy.

"Oww Neji! That hurt! You should learn to be more polite towards women, or else…your fiancée might just cry." She just hit the spot.

"TENTEN I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR HEART OUT AND EAT IT!"

Laughing maniacally Tenten streaked out of the room, with a furious Neji in hot pursuit. Servants watched in horror as they watched a boy they thought to be mature, quiet, and polite, run through the halls chasing after a madly giggling girl (A/N yes Tenten and Neji are currently OOC, but hey, its funny).

* * *

Lee woke up and jumped out of bed. Yes, he was feeling great! Yesterday, he had just rescued the girl of his dreams, and she agreed to train with him and Gai, and even went out with them for lunch. Ah yes, he could sense today to be another good one. He leapt onto his bed and started dancing. Nearby was an empty bottle of beer. But hey! They're eighteen! That's the drinking age in Konoha! Not that Gai would approve of course…

* * *

Kakashi sat on the lamp pole, reading the latest volume of Ich Icha paradise. A movement below him caught his eye. He looked down and saw Naruto dragging Hyuuga Hinata by the arm through the crowds. _What's the rascal up to now? With Hyuuga Hinata?_

He had spare time, so he decided to follow them. He leapt down and landed on none other than Kurenai.

"Ka-ka-shi?" She said slowly, her voice seething with venom.

"Ahhaha yes…Kurenai…nice to see you too…hehe sorry about the groceries…and your dress…eggs look good on you! Really!"

Kakashi soon gave up his monthly salary. _Nooo…no how will I ever be able to afford the newest edition of Icha Icha Paradise!_

Kakashi then learned why Kurenai was a formidable opponent against male shinobis. _Pain…owww…so much…pain…can't move…

* * *

_

Tsunade looked out the window. "Hey Jiraiya…didn't that sound like Kakashi?"

"Mhmm…he's a good boy…always buying my latest work the moment it comes out…you should give him a pay raise…"

"What are you drawing?"

"Nothing."

Tsunade walked over. And looked over the hermit's shoulder.

"YOU PERVERT!"

* * *

The two ANBU waited outside nervously.

"Hell no…I went in last time…look at this bruise" He lifted his mask up, revealing a large purple swell on his face. "I had issues with getting the damn mask to stay on this morning…"

"So? I'm _still_ recovering from the punch."

"Then let's go in together!"

"Great idea!" The both stood in front of the double doors, as sounds of scuffling erupted. They gulped nervously as they both placed hands on the doors.

A very confused Jiraiya suddenly burst through the doors and crushed the two poor ANBU against the opposite wall.

End chp 6

BL: Let's go like awww, Neji and Tenten are so cute together XD

Tenten: Really?

Neji: No.

Tenten: (begins to cry) Y-You h-hate me d-don't y-you?

Neji: (looking regretful) Of course I don't hate you Tenten…

Tenten: (stops crying) R-Really?

Neji: (walks towards her) Yes…

Tenten: (flashes a grin) Good, then you won't mind me doing this! (knees Neji in the balls)

Neji: (falls to the ground in pain) OMFG

Tenten: I believe that makes the score 30 to 29…

BL: XD


	7. Chp 7 Tears

Thx to…

Japponess: See what Tenten did when Neji first used Hands of Hakke on her XD

Kaeru Soyokaze: Yes…being an ANBU is very dangerous work…Lee is great when he's drunk!…and of course tenten and neji kick ass and are cute together…

Hibiyuru: Its out now

OkonomiyakeUcchan: They'll fight soon enough XD …and Tenten does have mood swings…like every other teenage girl

MisSs005: Thx!

Moonlightpath: Well, there u go then lol

Crazy-antman: Neji vs. Tenten…who will win?

Shirubui-chan: …nah, Tenten not that kind of person lol XD

MegDeity: …who knows what else Neji is hiding beneath that cool manner…

H!kAR: Sounds good to me lol thx

Silent Shinobi: Yes, beware of hormones…

And thx to everyone else who reviewed XD

…sorry…no Tenten bloodline yet…

Chapter 7 Tears

"TENTEN GET YOUR SCRAWNY ASS BACK HERE!"

Tenten chattered happily as she leapt onto a 20-meter high rafter, dodging several flying pieces of ceramics. Neji leapt up and landed on the rafter. He snarled at her. She merely winked at him and took off giggling crazily. He dove after in hot pursuit, pulling out a set of kunais. With animal ferocity he hurled them at Tenten, who, being a weapons master, caught them with relative ease, as she flipped over a table. Neji immediately put on a burst of speed, closing the distance between the two. _I am so gonna kill her…_

She suddenly jerked right and jumped through an open window. Neji followed suit. He smiled evilly as he saw his chance. He threw his weight through the air and tackled her in mid-air, wrapping his arms around her waist. Tenten let a small gasp as they plummeted to the ground.

"OWWWW! Neji! You hurt me!"

"You deserved it…now prepare for the beating…of…oh…" He was about to pound her face into the ground, but then noticed that he was lying right on top of her, and she happened to have landed on her back. He could feel her warm body squirm uncomfortably beneath him.

"So Neji…are you going to help this little girl up, or were you just getting comfortable there on top?" She smirked at him. Neji immediately blushed red as he rolled off her and dragged her to her feet. Not looking her in the eye he muttered a small apology. Tenten smiled and pinched his cheek, mocking him about how he was finally growing up and learning manners. Neji was about to use his Hakke on her, but then he remembered the last time he did that without thinking…

* * *

Flashback

"Ok Neji…I want you to use your Hands of Hakke on me…I need to build up my stamina…"

Neji looked at her queerly. "What have you been drinking? Or smoking?"

"Neji, not fooling…anyways…Gai-sensei suggested this…" She stared stubbornly into his eyes, taking him aback.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"THEN REPARE YOURSELF!" He hurtled towards her, "You are within my field of Divination! 64 HANDS OF HAKKE STRIKE!"

He reached her as a white blur, he two finger thrusting out to strike her tenketsu points. He struck rapidly, her shoulders, legs, arms. He spun her around and struck her back repeatedly, jabbing at the points. _16…32…and…_

He spun her around again, "64 STR—"

He then found he couldn't move his arms. He then noticed he was touching something soft…warm…and when he looked at his hands, he nearly fainted. They happened to be in mid-strike, touching the last two tenketsu points. The points just happened to be on her chest. The points were right next too… _Oh shit…_

And thus his fingers were touching… _Not good…_

'Neji…" Her hands were gripping his wrists. She spoke his name slowly again. "Neji…?"

Neji, trembling, slowly looked at her face, her eyes covered by her bangs.

"Y-Y-Yes T-Tenten?"

"Did you forget I was a girl…? I may be a kunoichi…but I'm still very much a girl…with certain body parts which boys like you should keep their dirty…hands off of…you should respect my being a girl no less…right, Neji-kun?" She looked up, her eyes in slits. He had never been so scared in his life. Neji was about to wet his pants. Unfortunately she didn't give him the time to.

CRACK! CRACK!

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEE! MY FINGERS!"

Gai and Lee heard a scream, and immediately they stopping beating up the logs around them. The looked in the direction of the scream, and then at each other. The grinned happily and made the good-guy pose together, killing some poor sparrows who happened to be flying overhead. Then they proceed to streak off hollering their battle-cry. They arrived at the edge of the clearing in time to see Tenten piledrive Neji into the ground and kick him repeatedly between the legs while half of him was submerged in the earth.

Tenten spotted them and glared at them. Lee was about to ask why she was beating the crap out of Neji when Gai suddenly grabbed him by the collar and ran off.

"MASTER GAI! WHY DID WE DO THAT?"

"WE SHOULD LEAVE THE TWO TO THEIR OWN BUSINESSES! SOMETIMES IT PAYS NOT TO GET INVOLVED!"

* * *

Back to Present

A slightly and dusty ruffled Tenten, accompanied by a nonplussed Neji, arrived in the Dining Hall several minutes late. Tenten quickly pushed some strands of hair behind her ear, which had fallen out of the buns during the chase. All eyes were on them. Tenten, not used to having so much attetntion, blushed and kept her head down, her bangs overshadowing her face. Neji noticed her embarrassment and quickly pushed her to where they were supposed to sit. Just as they sat down, the double doors opened again, and Hitomi and her father entered. Hiashi waved them over to sit by him, but Hitomi's father motioned for her to go sit by Neji.

She apparently did so with reluctance, but she smiled warmly at Tenten and Neji as she sat down.

"Good Morning Neji-san, and Tenten-san."

Tenten gave a cheery "hello", while Neji muttered a terse "Hn."

"My, Neji-san, I'd think you to have more manners while socializing."

Tenten snorted, smirking at her plate of scrambled eggs.

"Do you have a teammate by the name of Rock Lee?"

Tenten answered "Yes." for Neji.

"He's an interesting character…helped me with some trouble with missing-nin a day ago…enthusiastic young fellow, isn't he? But very friendly and open…something becoming rarer and rarer amongst the generations, eh?"

Neji glared at her, as though daring her to call him an egotist of sorts.

Tenten bit the end of a sausage. "She is right though Neji…some people out to be more open…"

"Tenten…shut up and eat your breakfast."

"Neji, you are an egotistical, chauvinistic, freaky little pig." Several of the Hyuugas sitting around them stared at the three. Tenten merely smiled nonchalantly at Neji, who had shifted his glare to the weapons master now. They then ate the rest of their breakfast in stony silence.

"Okay, see ya, Neji! When you're done, I'll be at our normal training grounds, k?"

"Hn."

* * *

Tenten stood on the steps of the Hyuuga Dining Hall and waved the couple off. _Well…she seems like a nice girl…upper-class just like Neji…she'll suit him just fine…_

She walked around the building around the Hyuuga Estates. But she felt a tinge of sadness pull at her heart strings. _We're just friends though…right?_

She leaned against the wall of the structure as she thought it over. _Neji-san…just a teammate…one of my few friends…and someone I trust?_

The tug on her heartstrings was getting stronger. _But what do I really feel about him? Do I…love him?_

She shook her head. _I can't be jealous, I have to be happy for him…yeah…that's right…_

A single tear ran down the side of her face. Quickly, she wiped it off, afraid that someone would notice her crying.

"What is the matter?"

Tenten looked up, reaching towards her pouch for a kunai. She then realized that she had been stripped of all weapons last night.

"Tsk tsk…so touchy with Neji gone now…so tell me what's really troubling you?"

Hiashi was standing next to her, his aging yet stern face looking down at her. But he had a soft smile on as well.

"N-Nothing, Hiashi-sama sir!" She quickly blinked, trying to dispel any trace of tears. "I-I just got s-something in eye…sorry…"

"Why the sama? No need to be so polite now, you are a friend of my nephew after all…so I take it that you have more than just feelings of friendship towards him…do you…love my nephew?" His pearl-white eye stared into her brown ones, searching. Tenten tore her gaze away, unable to keep it up any longer. "No…of course not…he's just a teammate…"

"Really now…well let me tell you something about Neji…remember that mission a couple weeks ago, where you failed to return, and was presumed KIA?"

She nodded.

"Well…he took the news with no expression or outburst of surprise. In fact, he didn't say anything. His face was again masked without emotion. But he returned to his quarters, and I followed him. I found him weeping on his bed, crying your name…and then, when you miraculously returned…well, from what I heard, he actually smiled at your homecoming celebration…and believe me when I say…his current relations with Hitomi will not work out…I believe that that girl has also found someone else…"

Tenten looked at him in awe. Had the Hyuuga Hiashi, came out just to tell her, a little 18-year old girl something like this? But, if what he said was true…then she still had hope…she smiled at him, tears of joy pouring down her face.

She tried to wipe off the tears, afraid that he might see her as weak, but Hiashi merely smiled and said, "I used to believe that tears were for the weak…but I was wrong…tears of joy are fine, and crying for loved ones is also quite acceptable…it's almost like a sign of respect…"

Completely unexpectedly, he reached out and brushed a tear from her eye. "Now cheer up, child. I am certain Neji wouldn't want to come back finding he had caused his teammate to shed tears for absolutely no reason… now wipe those tears out child…you're a jounin…aren't you supposed to either be training or on a mission?"

She nodded at him, smiling through the tears.

* * *

Neji walked down the streets, with Hitomi walking gracefully by his side. "So Neji-san…I guess since we are to be wed, we should get to know each other…so what do you do for fun?"

"Train."

"Really? I love to train as well…I heard that you are a great fighter…one of the top ranked jounin in Konoha."

"Hn." People walking around were staring at the odd couple. They could have sworn they saw Hyuuga Neji walking another girl just the other day.

"So what exactly did you want to see in Konoha?"

"Nothing really, just wanted to get to know my fiancée…"

"Hn…" They walked past a dress store. Neji noticed that Hitomi shared some similarities with Tenten; she didn't seem to care much for cosmetics or dresses, as she never batted an eye in the direction of all the brightly colored apparel on display, and she also didn't have qualms about talking about training. _Tenten…_

"You are a Jounin, yes?" He snapped out of his stupor.

"Just like you! I have 10 C-ranked, 7 B-ranked, and 4 A-ranked completed…you?"

Neji was shocked, as he didn't expect the Hidden Rain leader to let her daughter put herself through so much danger.

"3 C-ranked, 2-B-ranked, 13 A-ranked, and 2-S ranked…"

"13 A-ranked? Wow, that's amazing…only to be expected from the heir of the Hyuuga Clan…and 2 S-ranked…"

"I'm not the heir…Hyuuga Hinata, my cousin, is the heir…I'm merely a Side Branch family member…" He grimaced.

"Oh…I'm very sorry…" she looked away in embarrassment.

"Hn…"

* * *

Tenten stood by herself in the middle of the clearing, holding her Guan Dao. Hiashi had gotten her weapons back for her. Funnily enough, when they arrived at the armory, they found that several members of the main Branch had taken Tenten's weapons out for a trial run. Hiashi had to restrain Tenten to keep her from tearing them apart.

Slowly, she went through the basic forms of her personal style, the Rising Dragon. Ever so slowly, she increased the speed.

So, her motions were all but a blur.. Starting in a crouch, she held the pole across her back, feeling the reassuring weight of her weapon. She rose up, flipping the pole around and slashing the blade upwards in a vertical cross, sending an invisible opponent sky-high. She leapt up, after her foe and flipped sideways, so that she was parallel to the ground. In a massive sweep, she spun around, feeding her chakra through the weapon, releasing an energy sickle from the blade. The arc would have normally cut through her opponent, but instead it struck the ground, unleashing a booming explosion.

She landed lightly on the ground in another crouching stance. Tenten leapt forward and hacked downwards viciously, the force of the blade blowing a furrow in the ground without touching it. She walked forward, rotating on her left foot and spinning around with her blade rapidly, blowing up great gusts of wind. She broke into a run towards some targets she had set up.

Running through the gauntlet of wooden dummies, she wielded the 45-kg weapon as though it was a mere stick, lashing out left and right and she flew past the wooden figurines. The decapitated heads flew into the air. At the end of the gauntlet she whipped around, and without looking, pulled a handful of kunai from her pouch with only her right hand and hurled them behind her at the heads. Anyone who was watching would've only seen a blur rush past the dummies, and the heads magically flying off, with kunai embedded in each within less than a second.

She smiled happily as she saw that all of her kunais struck the flying heads squarely in the middle. She sat down, wiping sweat from her brow. Flourishing her pole arm with one hand, she pulled out a scroll with another. Muttering a few words, the weapon disappeared in a flash. Tenten pulled open the scroll, revealing pictures of hundreds of different weapons. There, she spotted the Guan Dao she had just been using. She smiled as she browsed over the rest of the weapons, wondering which one to practice. She decided on her katana. With a mere thought, the picture of the katana disappeared, magically erased, and an exact duplicate, all too solid and real, appeared in front of her. This was her way of storing weapons.

_They don't call me the weapons master for nothing…_

"TENTEN!" Tenten turned towards the sound of the voice, to see her fellow jounin and partner, Rock Lee. He flashed her grin as he bounded towards her.

"Tenten! I have finally gotten over Sakura!"

"Really, that's great news!" She smiled. She remembered finding Lee weeping and running laps around Konoha, after Sakura had brutally rejected him for the last time.

"So you got a girlfriend now?"

"No, but I found a potential candidate!"

Lee jumped and threw his arms around the kunoichi, crushing Tenten with a massive bearhug. Lee was probably the only shinobi in Konoha to have made it to Jounin without using any ninjutsu or genjutsu. Of course, his Taijutsu was remarkable, in addition to his mastering of the Lotus Techniques and the Eight Gates. He was probably only second to Master Gai. Of course, his speed was second to none, especially after he opened his Eight Gates. Hell, Tenten was considered one of the fastest kunoichi around, but her agility was nothing compared to Lee with his Eight Gates open.

"Wanna spar?"

"Not yet! I must tell you about this beautiful maiden!"

Tenten cocked her head, smiling. She loved his antics, he could always bring a smile to her face. Tenten considered him the brother she had never had..

"Her name is…USAGA HITOMI!"

"…Oh that's a pretty name, Hitomi…waitaminute…I think I heard it somewhere before…" Tenten's eyes widened as she remembered the meeting.

"I know! And she has beautiful blonde hair!"

Tenten breathed a sigh of relief. _Probably just same names…_

"And she's the daughter of the Hidden Rain Kage! AND GUESS WHAT? SHE SPARRED WITH MEEE!"

Tenten blinked stupidly. _Oh Shit…Lee's gonna rampage once I tell him…_

"NOOO TENTEN WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR YOUTHFULNESS?"

"Whaa?" Tenten blinked some more.

"You look like someone sucked your brains out and put them in a mixer and poured them back in."

_His imagination knows no limits…_

"Ummm, how should I put this? Umm…your Hitomi…umm…is already engaged…"

"WHAT?" He roared. Tenten cringed. She remembered when Neji had said Master Gai was acting gay, and Lee nearlydefeated him in their next sparring match. Lee had gone all out, using his Lotus on Neji in combination with the Eight Gates of Power.

"Umm, "she said in a very tiny, timid voice, "She's engaged to Neji…"

_Forgive me Neji…_

"NOOOOOOOOO NEJI HAS ONCE AGAIN TROUNCED ME! BUT I SHALL DEFEAT HIM!" His eyes were once again burning with that freak fire thing. Tenten whimpered softly and cowered on the ground as Lee ran around the place breaking things.

"Oh Tenten? Did I scare you?"

She nodded slowly.

"I'M SOOO SORRY WILL YOU EVER FORGIVE MEE?"

He picked her up again and crushed her in a massive bear hug.

"Sure. Just put me down…"

"Sorry…"

Tenten grinned. "Well Nej—"

Lee rushed off, screaming vows about beating the crap out of Neji.

Tenten sighed and once again returned to training, taking another stance, the curved blade held with her left leg leading and the blade held skew to her body. She envisioned a random Sound nin in front of her promptly began her swift dissection of his innards.

End chp 7

Neji: you cried for me?

Tenten: (nods meekly)

Neji: Weakling…

Tenten: (begins to cry again)

BL: You idiot! You made her cry again! Apologize! (audience boos Neji)

Neji: …fine…Tenten? I'm sorry…you're not weak at all…

Tenten: (proceeds to smile and glomps him) Yay!

BL: happy endings are always nice XD I wish my life could have a happy ending

Neji: Tenten? Get off of me…

Tenten: (PUPPY FACE NO JUTSU) Whaaa?

Neji: Damn you Tenten! (Translation: I love you too, Tenten)

Audience: Awwww…

kk ppl Review now


	8. Chp 8 Nightmares and a Duel for Love

Need to give ppl some thxs…

Moonlightpath: thx lol. Hmmm…tenten vs hitomi…that's pretty hard…they're both quite powerful…I'll a spar between the two later on XD

Kaeru Soyokaze: nah, love will be nice to lee soon enough XD …hmmm…if lee had a ninja dog…XD yes and neji im pretty sure would cry if tenten died lol

Japponess: Well…lol…neji should have been slightly more careful lol… well enjoy chp 8

Bianca: lol KIA…XD yes lee is very jealous…he must win back hitomi!

Shirubi-chan: well…something like that happens in this chap…lol enjoy!

Sarafu-chan: hmmm…is lee poor? …we've never seen his house XD

Hibiyuru: XD u guessed it!

H!kAR: lee does some rampaging this chapter

Crazy-antman: yes it is with naruhina…hell ill probably even put shikatema once temari shows up…kakakure?

Harukakanata: yes it is indeed!

Lawless Priest: j0 again, I updated eternal strife too, so go R&R that XD thx for the review lol and hurry up and update urs…

Now enjoy ppl

* * *

Chp 8 Nightmares and a Duel for Love

Tenten looked up weakly and smiled warmly at him again. He stared back, his pearl-colored eyes blinking furiously in an attempt to block back tears. No, she couldn't die, she was the only one who truly understood him; his sole friend, the only one he let through his mental defenses. He hugged her closely to him, shielding her from the rain with his body. She snuggled close to him.

"Neji…why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying, it's raining."

"Neji," she laughed feebly, "I've known you for how long? I'd think I could tell what you're thinking…I know you like the back of my hand…"

"You will live." He tried to make it sound like an order, but it came out more like a feeble opinion.

"I'm going to sleep a bit now…"

"NO! IF YOU FALL ASLEEP, YOU WILL DIE!"

She looked up at him and cocked her head slightly, "Is that a threat? Neji…kun?"

She blinked the rainwater out of her amber eyes. Sighing, she rested her head on Neji's chest as he supported her exhausted frame. Neji gripped her, letting her relax and place her weight on him. He rested his chin on her head, together sharing their warmth, just as they had done while still genin.

"Neji…kun?"

He looked at her pale face and answered softly, "Yes, Tenten?"

She raised a finger to his face, touching his cheek gently. "I'm sorry, but I won't be around much longer…I'm so sorry…" And with that, the weapons master of Fire Country died in Neji's arms.

Neji stared at her pale face in shock. _No she can't be dead…_

He put two fingers to her neck. There was no pulse. _She's dead…gone…just like my father…_

"TENTEN!" He screamed as he hugged her cold, limp body to his, sobbing into her soft, dark hair…

* * *

Hyuuga Neji awoke with a start. _Oh my god…Tenten? No, it was just a nightmare…right? Scared me shitless…ohmigod…_ (A/N lol did I scare u guys?)

He could feel his heart beat pounding furiously. He had the urge to go up and make sure Tenten was alive and well. _I must have dozed of while meditating…_

He was sitting against the base of the tree, as usual. Suddenly, a blast of purple light illuminated the area as Hitomi unleashed a jutsu on a tree. Neji blinked his eyes wearily. _I need to sleep…god that girl has been blowing up trees like there's no tomorrow…Lee will probably get on her case for dehousing the local wildlife…wait…_

With a faint green aura, he saw Hitomi wave her hands, and new trees suddenly sprouted from the ground. _She has great chakra control…wow…_

The next thing he knew, he had been sent reeling from a nasty kick to the jaw.

"Lee, what the hell?"

"NEJI! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL OF LOVE!"

"Lee what the hell is going o—"

"WE WILL FIGHT FOR HITOMI-CHAN'S LOVE! DO YOU ACCEPT?"

Hitomi was now looking at the two with the twinkling of amusement in her eyes.

"Lee-chan?"

"Yes Hitomi-chan! It is I, Rock Lee! I WILL DEFEAT NEJI AND WIN YOUR LOVE!" He had blues flames burning in his eyes now.

Neji would've laughed at him, but suddenly he had a plan to escape his prearranged fate.

"Very well, I accept your challenge…"

Neji faced Lee. Lee glared at him, his eyes once again alit with what he claimed to be "righteous flames of anger". If Neji was not Neji, he would have burst out laughing. Neji took the Gentle Fist stance, ready for anything his way. _I might just throw this fight…_

Lee suddenly appeared beside him. Neji blinked stupidly at Lee.

"How did you—?"

Lee smashed a lethal kick through Neji. Neji exploded in a puff of smoke, and Lee was left standing with his foot lodged inside a half-shattered log.

Neji knelt on the branch of a tree, staring hard at Lee. _Haven't sparred with him in a while…forgot about his demon speed…rivals Gai's…_

Neji leapt out of the tree as Lee shattered it with a chakra-powered punch.

_He can't use his chakra for ninjutsus…but he still has a ton…from those "Gates" I've heard so much about…well, time for some hard-core tra—_

Neji instinctively blocked an arm chop from Lee and immediately thrust his palm at his friends stomach. _Jyuuken!_

As Neji expected, he missed, but he knew that Lee still felt the effects of a near hit, as Lee flipped away and proceeded to hurl out his lunch. Neji charged him and leapt into the air, spinning rapidly, bringing about his feet for double roundhouses. Lee easily blocked them and landed a punch to Neji's midsection. Neji quickly spun around to deflect the momentum of the punch while allowing him another shot. Neji grabbed Lee's arm and attempted to grapple him. Lee smirked and pulled a reversal, pinning Neji to the ground. Just as Lee was about to pound his face in, Neji performed the substitution jutsu once again, letting Lee blow apart another log with his vicious blows. _I see he's going all out…I might have to actually do something to prevent him from killing me…_

The two leap-frogged around the whole forest and clearing, exchanging lightning fast blows. They stopped in the middle of the pocketed clearing, panting slightly.

"Let me show you my new technique…"

Neji cocked an eyebrow.

Lee stood there grinning toothily. One of Neji's eyes began twitching. "Well?"

Suddenly something with the force of and truck slammed into him. Neji flew backwards and barely flipped around to land on his feet. "What the hell? BYAKUGAN!"

He then noticed he had a large cut running down his chest, which had cut right through his robes, with a faint line of crimson appearing (A/N he's dressed like Neji in like chp 265 of manga…after two years XD). "I see…this is no ninjutsu…Lee, amazing…you are amazing. You can strike fast enough to control the air currents and use the wind from your strike to damage the opponent from a distance…impressive indeed…"

"I call it the Aerocutter!"

Lee winked at him, still smiling. Neji's trained eyes caught the almost-impossible-to-see movement from Lee, Neji quickly stepped to the side, and the tree behind him exploded in a shower of splinters.

"Well…I have my own jutsus I created, an offensive variation of the Kaiten Heavenly Spin, and another quick strike technique using the same style."

Neji sprinted forward. "Hyuuga succession technique. Palm BLADE!" He thrusted his palm out at Lee, he looked at him confused.

Lee stared at Neji's Palm. _There's no way he can use the Jyuu—_

A visible spike of chakra flared out from Neji's palm and rocketed towards Lee. Lee quickly sidestepped, just as the spike passed through the space where he had just been standing. Lee looked down, and saw that the spike had managed to slice through his vest and jumpsuit.

"AHHHHH NEJI YOU CUT MY JUMPSUIT THAT GAI-SENSEI GAVE ME!"

"…Well, he's got plenty more where that came from…"

Lee charged at him roaring with anger. And once again, the two found themselves leaping about the battleground creating little explosions with their massive power strikes. Lee was going to have to assist the little squirrels in repopulating after this.

Neji hurled himself aside as Lee barreled past at somewhere around 200 mph. Neji grimaced as several more cuts appeared in his robes. _Okay…if this match didn't have so much on the line, I would kill him…_

Lee stopped when he struck and shattered a boulder into tiny chips.

"You are within the field of my Divination…"

Lee shook his head, shaking off a cloud of dust from his bowl cut. He hadn't even noticed the stance Neji. He noticed when he heard Neji shout out, "HANDS OF HAKKE!"

The next thing Lee knew, he was being struck so quickly he couldn't keep track of how mnay time he had been hit. He body danced like a ragged doll as Neji fired off jab after jab.

"32, 64…"

Lee's eyes widened ion surprise. He was getting numb. _Why is he sealing my chakra points? It's not like I'm going to use any ninjutsus…_

"128…" Beads of sweat flew from Neji forehead as he took his technique to the next level, his hands moving so fast that the air whistled with his speed. He arms where blurs as he struck the points laid out to him by his Byakugan.

"Hyuuga Supreme technique, HYDRA-STYLE 256 STRIKES! DISABLE!" he called out as he continued his never-ceasing fusillade of two-fingered blows.

Neji let his hands sag slowly by his sides, panting furiously. The previous record set by any Hyuuga was 128 strikes. He had been training to surpass that number. For the past two years exactly.

He had landed 256 strikes with pinpoint accuracy on every known tenketsu point and some disabling pressure points. All within less than twenty seconds. Used on any normal shinobi, they would be unable to access their chkra pool and cast ninjutsus. Even if the somehow had any access, they would be unable to peform the proper hand seals, as they would be completely immobilized from the pressure points he struck. If he was aiming to kill, he would have ended with one of around a dozen "killing points".

Neji smiled to himself in victory. But he immediately frowned, as he realized he had been so caught up in the bliss of fighting that he had forgotten what he had originallyintended to do. _Oops…overkill…_

Lee flew backwards, as he found he couldn't move at all. _That was unbelievable…such speed…he used to be able to do only the normal 64 strikes…but it has been 5 years…_

He landed roughly on the ground in an awkward position. _NO! I CANNOT LOSE HITOMI!_

Lee closed his eyes and concentrated, opening all eight of the Gates. He felt new power surge through his body, as he regained use of his limbs. He got up, Blue wisps of energy circling around him. His eyes were literally glowing with blue flame now.

"LET'S END THIS NOW NEJI!"

Neji widened his eyes in shock. _He can still move? He's using the Gates? This is not good…_

He pulled off his vest and tossed it aside. Neji had expected this, and he showed no change in expression and it knocked down a nearby tree with its weight. Lee then threw off all of his remaining weights, clouding himself with dust.

He streaked at Neji, he limbs lashing out in a whirlwind of blunt fury. Neji ducked, weaved, blocked, and spun as best he could, but he forearms were starting to hurt with all the powerful blows that had been raining down on him. Neji quickly enacted another jutsu, shrouding the area with mist. He had learned this technique during one of his very many missions to the Village Hidden in Rain.

Suddenly, the mist was blown away by a strong wind. Lee grinned at Neji. "That won't work on me!"

_Maybe I should take off my we—_

"Forward LOTUS SPIN! FINISHER!"

Neji was thinking, _WHAT? Oh wait…I guess this should work out to my choosing…_

Neji forgot to think about how much damage the Lotus would do to him. He realized that when Lee suddenly appeared in front of him, crossing the thirty or so meters between them within the blink of an eye. Neji smacked himself mentally as Lee sent him flying into space up with his favorite combo opener; and brutal kick to the jaw after appearing under the opponent. Lee launched himself upwards after him.

The next thing Neji knew, Lee had his hands around his waist and they were spinning at a stomach-churning, speeding down towards the ground at a little over 300 miles per hour. So to save his own life he decided to attempt the Kaiten with Lee holding on. The end result was actually quite painful for both, especially when they made contact with the hard earth.

* * *

Hiashi looked at the man beside him. "So, what did you think." In truth, Hiashi was quite impressed by Neji's teammate. He mnot only managed to move after being hit with 256 strikes, but also launch another full-scale attack on the Nyuuga.

"That boy can't use ninjutsus…Hitomi will still wed Neji as planned next week and that is that…"

"They're eighteen…"

"Your point?"

"Nevermind…"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Hitomi, now accompanied by Tenten, surveyed the damage. "I see they took it to the max…" They looked at the huge crater in the center of the clearing.

"Yes, a most impressive display of power by both." They glanced at all the wrecked trees and plants.

"So who would you say won?" Tenten asked. She looked up from her sitting position.

"Lee I guess…he's still on his feet…sort of…" Hitomi smiled. "Neji did well also."

"I guess…so what were they fighting for?"

Hitomi giggled. "I believe Lee called it love."

Tenten gaped at her. So Neji had fought for Hitomi?

"You look upset, is something the matter?"

"Oh, n-no, of course not…um…oh yes…Lee claimed that you had blonde hair…what happened? Were you just using a genjutsu?"

"No, actually, it's a ninjutsu, which changes your hair color for real. It's very helpful during espionage missions …I am naturally cerulean and with lavender eyes." She smiled, and her hair sudden phased from being blue to red. Tenten laughed, asking whether she could learn to do it in a joking. She shut her mouth quickly when Hitomi replied yes with a serious face.

* * *

Neji opened his eyes groggily (with much effort as well, he felt like "hammered shit"), and looked at the night sky. _Lee…that idiot…I actually had to fight for real after he used the Lotus on me…argh…my ass kills…_

"I see you're awake, Hyuuga…you look like you ran into a wall…"

He looked up and looked into the smiling face of Tenten.

"Hyuuga? What's up with that?"

"Nothing…" She looked away sadly.

"Oh well…I lost right?"

"I-I think so…" Tenten hated herself for having wished her friend ill will.

Neji, to her surprise, smiled and said, "Hitomi and Lee make nice couple…don't they? Now I don't have to marry her. I'd prefer to stay single for now…" he smiled at her.

Tenten smiled back, but inside, she was crushed, by his last statement. _He wants to stay single…?_

Neji knew something was wrong just by the way she was smiling. He had thought she would be pleased that he was no longer engaged. _Strange…I had always thought she fancied me a bit_. "Okay, so what's up with all the fake happiness?"

"Nothing you would really understand…or like to hear…"

"Try me…" he smirked at her from his humble position on his back. He was risking getting blades in his body with the smirking part.

"Leave it, Neji…just leave it…you'll figure it out soon, I hope…" She began walking away.

"Tenten…would you like to spar a bit?" She turned to look at him with a calm face. But then, to his relief, it broke into a smile, the one he knew and loved.

Their temporary moment of a certain emotion was interrupted by an explosion.

"LEEE-CHAN!"

Tenten and Neji looked over to see a panicking Hitomi rushing over to an unconscious Lee. _Oh my fasking god...Lee was just sparring with Hitomi? Is he insane? How much stamina does he have?_

"OHMIGOD I'm soooo sorry!"

"I'm okay sensei! I still have two hundred more laps…" Lee sat up with a dazed look on his face. "Oh, Hello Hitomi-chan!" He shook his head.

Tenten ran over shouting, "OHMIGOD LEE ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?"

"Yes Tenten-chan I am fine! Wanna spar?" Tenten shook her head and turned to look at Neji, waving at him to come over. Neji snorted and began making his way through all the craters, boulders, and broken trees that now were placed around Neji and Lee's battlefield. He looked in surprise when he passed the crater made by that last, stupid move they had decided to do. It was at least ten meters deep and more than forty meter in diameter. Neji stood next a boulder, leaning on it, as he felt a wave of dizziness sweep through him. He then blacked out.

* * *

Neji regained consciousness slowly. He was resting on something warm, and something warm was resting on his head. He opened an eye painfully, and saw the sta-filled night sky. He reached up and tried to touch what ever was resting on his head.

"Uhn…Neji…stop it tickles…"

He then realized whatever he was resting on was alive and breathing and apparently sleeping. Vaguely, he surmised that Tenten was holding him. At first the idea didn't really strike him as very weird. Then he remembered Tenten was a girl. An 18-year old girl. Make that a very pretty, well-developed 18-year old girl. _Hormones are acting up again…shit…_

He smacked himself, trying to get rid of the hentai thoughts rampaging through his mind.

He moved slightly, trying to find a way to get out of Tenten's embrace without disturbing her, but stopped when he heard her call out softly in her sleep. "Please…don't…leave me alone again…"

_Who's she talking about? Or to?_

Neji let out a short gasp when Tenten tightened her grip on him, squeezing him like a teddy bear. She then proceeded to unconsciously nuzzle his head. Neji was getting quite red by now. What if someone caught them? What if Lee caught them? _Hell no…_

But, he got a warm, nice feeling from it, though he hated to admit it. _To hell with it…I'm exhausted anyways…_

He dozed off again.

* * *

"Lee-san? Are you okay? You do not seem too well…"

Lee opened one eye, and found himself looking into the person he wanted to see most.

"Hitomi-chan!"

"Yes!" She giggled a bit. She was kneeling beside him, looking down at him. "You're spent, don't try to move…here allow me."

She made several hand seals, and her fingers began glowing. She traced them over his cuts and bruises, and soon, Lee was almost all healed.

"Wow, you truly are amazing and beautiful! I didn't even need the healing Gate!"

Lee sat up abruptly with a sickening CRACK! And then collapsed back down.

"Lee…your superficial wounds are healed, but your bones will take more time…"

She smiled amusedly at him. "So why were you two going all out, or do you and Neji-san do this often?"

"We were…fighting for your love…did I win?"

"Um, I believe so…Neji-san seemed to have taken slightly more damage…"

"Where is he know?" Lee turned to face her. She laughed a bit. "He resting with Tenten-san…"

"Oh! Okay! …I'm just going to take a small nap…" And with that, Lee returned to Lala-land.

End. Chp 8

Lee: Haha I HAVE DEFEATED YOU NEJI! HITOMI-CHAN IS MINE!

Neji: (smirking) sure…take her then…not I like her…

Hitomi: I heard that…

Tenten: …XD Neji?

Neji: Hn?

Tenten: if you don't like her, then who do you like…?

Neji: …No one…I walk alone…( _Boulevard of Broken Dreams_ starts playing in the background) …I have no need for others…(walks into sunset during chorus.)

Tenten: (thinks for a while) AHHHH LEE STOP IT! STOP IT! NEJI HEEELP!"

Lee: Stop what?

Neji: (turns around freaked out and then looked at Lee) you would dare touch her?

Lee: wha?

Neji: PALM BLADE!

Lee: AHHHHH (gets hit and goes down)

Hitomi: that wasn't very nice, Neji-san.

Neji: Hn…

Hitomi: Suitton Suiryu NO JUTSU! (Water Dragon No Jutsu)

Neji: AHHHHH (swept away)

Tenten: - . -'

Now review ppl


	9. Chp 9 I Am Not That Kind of Girl…

Thx to all u reviewers XD

Japponess: hitomi is quite funny isn't she, always so poker-faced and polite…XD

Moonlightpath: lol I am the trickster XD ph34r m3! Uh, I still need to incorporate that spar into the story somewhere…don't know where yet though

Bryr: Isn't it, though?

Kaeru Soyokaze: love hurts XD MORE LEE-HITOMI!

Juya: Hehehe…I am evil…beware of my freakish twists that I always have the urge to put in during the most random spot in the plot…

Great Saiyaman: Did I really put that much sexual innuendo? XD if I did I think a certain friend of mine would have killed me by now…

Hibiyuru: HH "No! Tenten! Don't do it! Don't shoot!", T "I'm sorry but this is for the best!", HH "NOOOOO!", T "Hahaha HEADSHOT W007, kicked your ass in Halo again!" XD I'm so random…

H!kAR: did I really make u cry? T-T I'm so sorry…why do I do this? Oh yeah, I luv to watch grown men cry…or grown women XD

Crazy-antman: Yes Yes Learn the meaning of ph34r with Lee's taijutsu ranged attacks

The essence of popsicles: yes, Mr. Usaga is indeed a bastard XD But Hitomi's a nice girl…

Asura of Love: Thx that was another reason I wrote this; I despised how sometimes people screwed around with Tenten's personality and/or screwed around with neji and tenten's relationship…I actually read several ones in which they hated each and constantly quarreled, leaving me going like 0o0… well, enjoy the update then XD

Now R&R and enjoy much ppl

Chapter 9 I Am Not That Kind of Girl…

"Lee-san? Are you okay? You do not seem too well…"

Lee opened one eye, and found himself looking into the person he wanted to see most.

"Hitomi-chan!"

"Yes!" She giggled a bit. She was kneeling beside him, looking down at him. "You're spent, don't try to move…here allow me."

She made several hand seals, and her fingers began glowing. She traced them over his cuts and bruises, and soon, Lee was almost all healed.

"Wow, you truly are amazing and beautiful! I didn't even need the healing Gate!"

Lee sat up abruptly with a sickening CRACK! And then collapsed back down.

"Lee…your superficial wounds are healed, but your bones will take more time…"

She smiled amusedly at him. "So why were you two going all out, or do you and Neji-san do this often?"

"We were…fighting for your love…did I win?"

"Um, I believe so…Neji-san seemed to have taken slightly more damage…"

"Where is he know?" Lee turned to face her. She laughed a bit. "He resting with Tenten-san…"

"Oh! Okay! …I'm just going to take a small nap…" And with that, Lee returned to Lala-land.

* * *

Kakashi clutched an icepack to his head as he sat on the wall, reading his very-graphic novel. He put it away, sighing, half-groaning. _Kurenai…no wonder you don't have a boy friend…at least one that we know is still alive…_

He decided to go train. Yes indeed, he had been training quite vigorously for the past few months. He had even developed a new technique. He frowned when he finished the current volume of very graphic romance. _Another stupid cliffhanger…guess I'll go out and train before Tsunade decides to send me on a mission…_

He sneaked out of the house through a second-floor window, and ended up getting pounced by Anko, who had been hiding on the roof.

"AUGH ANKO GET OFFA ME!"

* * *

Neji opened his eyes. The sun was already high in the sky. _We overslept!

* * *

_

Meanwhile, Shikamaru walked around. He noted that almost everyone he saw was clustered in a group with other people, and they were talking rapidly and excitedly. With his really high IQ, he surmised that some prodigy was getting married. He wondered which one. _But then again, better not jump to conclusions like last time…_

He shrugged and continued walking.

* * *

"AWWWWW That's so…so KAWAII CUUUUUTE! Make me doubles!"

"ME TOO! THEY LOOK ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE TOGETHER!"

Sakura and Co. had a booming business selling pictures of Tenten and Neji together. All of the older women seemed very interested in the Hyuuga Prodigy. Sakura guessed that it was due to the fact that he was a Hyuuga. Practically like nobility in this village. _He's pretty cute though…kinda like…Sasuke-kun…_

She bit her lip before pulling out a photo of Neji sleeping in Tenten's arms. She shook her head, trying to clear away the haunting memories of her lost teammate.

* * *

Hinata walked around town. Naruto had been sent on a mission, so he wouldn't be back for a few days. She turned a corner after exchanging greetings with some townspeople and met a sight which made her think she was dreaming.

There, plastered across a large bulletin board, was a large photo of Tenten, who happenedn to be asleep on top of an unconscious Neji. There happened to be a large mob of people screaming and shouting underneath it, where Hinata spotted Sakura and Ino handing out what appeared to be photographs.

Panicking, she ran down to the little booth, and true enough, the photos being sold were pictures of Neji and Tenten. She covered her mouth in horror. They were practically spreading false gossip!

She had to do something!

She was about to say something to Sakura when a rumbling filled the area. Hinata looked down the other end of a street and saw an angry mob of girls streaking towards the booth waving banners. With Neji's face blown up painted on them. _Uh-oh…it's Neji's fan club_. Under his painted face were the words, "GIVE BACK OUR NEJI-KUN!"

Hinata quickly stepped back as the mob reached the booth. The promptly overran it, tearing it apart.

_I-I w-wonder if Sakura-san and I-Ino-san are all right...

* * *

_

Tenten opened her eyes. The sun was shining down rather brightly, she noted. She then noted sleepily that she was holding what appeared to he a large, warm teddy bear. She nuzzled the head, smiling happily. _Wow…really silky fur…

* * *

_

Neji meanwhile was biting his lip as he was being nuzzled. _TENTEN! TENTEN! STOP THIS MADNESS! NOOOOO MUST…RESIsT…urge…ahhhh that feeeeels great…NOOOOOO! MY HAIR!

* * *

_

Tenten finally realized that she wasn't nuzzling and cuddling with a teddy bear, but the Hyuuga Neji. _Is he asleep?_ She blushed slightly when he finally said something.

"Tenten?" Okay, Tenten was about to faint.

"A-Ah N-Neji! I-I t-though you w-were…"

"It's alright, just please let me get up…" She quickly released her death grip on his waist, her face quite red.

"Thanks…"

"S-Sorry…"

"You sound like Hinata now." He smirked at her. She merely blushed even more. Now Neji was frowning. _Why's she acting so weird all of a sudden.?_

She looked down at her feet embarrassedly.

"Tenten? What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing…"

Tenten sighed, downcast. _He doesn't…hasn't…guessed…_

"Let's train Tenten, it's already…I think about noon…"

"Okay…"

She sneaked a glance at him, and quickly jerked her gaze back down to feet after noticing that Neji was still cross-examining her.

Neji gaped at her in shock. Was this Tenten? _Wow, she's acting like a girl…oh wait! She is a girl…hehe…_

He snickered maliciously at the thought. Tenten thought he was laughing at her, and felt even worse. She turned around, trying to hold back tears. Neji cocked an eyebrow in surprise. He thought she was giving him the cold shoulder.

"Hey, don't turn your back on me!" He put a hand on her shoulder and spun her around.

He then plummeted to the darkest pits of hell. Tenten was looking at him, with her lower lip quivering and tears streaming down her. Again, his jaw dropped, giving a look of stupidity never seen before.

_She's crying_, he thought to himself dumbly. He blinked, _what do I do now?_

Neji has never been put in such compromising conditions with a member of the opposite sex, even including Tenten. And this was Tenten, flustered, upset, and weeping because of his narrow knowledge of how the female mind works.

They were standing there for about twenty seconds before Neji realized what was actually happening. Being the good friend he was, he tried to comfort her using a method he learned from a soap opera.

* * *

Tenten was broken in mind, spirit, and body. She felt rejected, and despised, by the person she had trusted most, the Hyuuga Neji. No doubt he would yell at her for crying being weak. She cringed, blinking out her tears, in preparation for the verbal assault that was to come.

Instead, to her surprise, she felt strong arms wrap around, hugging her close to a well-toned chest. _What's going on?_

She looked up at Neji questioningly. He merely hugged her tighter, and rested his chin on her head. Tenten smiled happily through her tears and buried her face in his robes. This was probably a dream. But it felt so real. Here she was, being comforted and hugged by _the _Hyuuga Neji, under the stars at night. If Tenten had been a girl, she would have said it was romantic…

Oh wait, she is a girl…hehehe…it's romantic then …haha

She rested her head against his shoulder, sobbing. Neji looked down at her, holding her protectively. _…She IS really cute I guess…she looks so sad when she's crying…killing my heart…making me just want to hold her and…I guess watching those soap operas was a good idea…_

"Tenten…it's all right…don't worry, I'm here for you…I'm really sorry if I scared you…"

She sniffed, laying her head on his chest. "I know Neji, I know…I just hope that…this doesn't change your view on me…I'm sorry for showing weakness…"

Neji stared. He wondered whether this was why she was so upset. She suddenly sagged, as her legs buckled and she collapsed, forcing him to support her full weight.

"I-I'm kinda tired right…w-would it be alright if I r-rested a bit before s-sparring?"

He smiled as he held her limp form against him, resting his chin on her soft black hair. "Hn."

_I guess that works…_

He then noted with some amusement that she had fallen asleep in his arms. _Hn…I should be nicer to you, after all the times you've risked your neck for me…

* * *

_

Lee continued to pummel the log, or more like the not-so-solid pile of splinters furiously.

"Lee-san I think you have thoroughly destroyed the log now. Maybe you should rest, after spending so much chakra and energy in your last battle."

"NO! I must train to get even stronger than NEJI!"

"But you beat him, didn't you?"

"Only barely! I MUST TAKE TO THE NEXT LEVEL!" She proceed to streak through a cluster and tree and knock them down like twigs. Hitomi giggled. "Lee-san, really now, it is about noon. Why don't we call it quits for now? How does lunch sound to you?"

Lee stopped at the prospect of taking Hitomi out to lunch. He brightened up and quickly sipped back to her side. "Of course! Anything for you!"

Hitomi smiled happily as she and Lee began walking back to Konoha.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tenten and Neji were asleep again, except this time Neji was holding her to him, letting her sit between his knees and lean back on him. _What a beautiful day_, he subconsciously mused.

* * *

Hinata was walking back to the Hyuuga Estates. She had managed to save several wind-blown pictures of Neji and Tenten from sure destruction by Neji's fan club. She smiled inwardly to herself as she looked them over. _Wow, I never Neji-niisan would be the type for love…but I guess Tenten-san suit him perfectly…I wish I was as strong as she was…I'm still only Chuunin…hmm…they look really cute together._

She smiled at the thought of Tenten and Neji getting married. But then she remembered that Neji had been engaged to the daughter of the head of the Village Hidden in Rain. _Poor Tenten…she must feel crushed…

* * *

_

"MY EX-PUPILS! WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?"

"Uh, cuddling?" Neji bit his lip. It was the first answer that came to mind, and he spoke it without thinking it over. _That was stupid…that was very, very stupid…how come I'm always so stupid with Tenten?_

Gai backed away in fright and tripped over a root, sending him tumbling head over heels down the gentle slope of the slight valley.

Freaking outuncharacteristically, Neji quickly picked a snoozing Tenten by the waist and ran for it before Gai could get up and imprint the scene in his memory. Neji suddenly remembered something, backtracked, ran over to a dazed Gai, deftly whacked him on the back of the neck, and then ran back to the still-sound asleep Tenten and picked her up bridal-style (A/N wow this seems familiar XD) and streaked away.

* * *

Hitomi sat next to Lee, chatting with him about Taijutsu techniques, every now and then laughing or giggling at something Lee said. She smiled. Hitomi hadn't had this much fun in a while. Her father had been hell-bent on finding her a suitable "suitor", and half the time he failed to mention his choice to her. In fact, her father had told her while going to Konoha that they were going on a strictly "diplomatic" mission to meet with the Hokage as well as the Lord of Fire Country. Well, so far she had met a certain blondie-boy who wants to become Hokage, and the Weapons Master of Fire Country. _Rather interesting turn of events…_, she mused as she sipped at her miso soup.

She listened attentively as Lee very enthusiastically explained some special Konoha Taijutus technique.

"The Art of Dancing with the Leaves (A/N i forgot what the name of the technique was XD)requires great speed, agility, and concentration! You picture your opponents as a falling leaf and you act as his shadow! Only Master Gai and I are the current living masters of that art!"

"Sounds very intriguing! You must demonstrate to me sometime." She smiled at him, causing him to puff out his chest proudly, which caused her to laugh a bit.

"Hey hottie! What's a cute girl like you hangin' out wid a big-browed freak like him?"

Hitomi swung around on her stool calmly to face whoever had been stupid enough to insult a Jounin. It was a large, brawny, muscular man, with a goatee and messy brown hair. He was wearing a black muscle shirt and was apparently trying to flew his arms in some sort of pose. He had several friends around him, leering at her, all built around the same lines as him.

"I'm sorry, but I do not believe we have met…"

"Course not! But who wouldn't want to meet a hot chick like you!" His friends snickered mischievously

Hitomi calmly replied, with a polite smile, "I thank you for the compliment, but please do not refer to me as a…'chick' was it? Yes…I am not that kind of girl. Now please excuse my friend and I…we are just trying to have our lunch in peace."

"Come on now, girl, you know you wanna have some fun to. How 'bout you n' me go to the nearest club and knock it off."

She looked at him politely, with as much dignity as possible, and refused him steadfastly. He leaned towards her, looking her in the eye. She raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

Hitomi had gotten a scent of his atrocious breath when he leaned towards her. He was rather drunk, but his manner and gestures had hidden it well. _Must have a high tolerance level then…_

Suddenly, the man's arms shot out and grabbed her wrist, trying to drag her out of the ramen stand. She was about to break his wrist when Lee beat her too it in a blur of green fury. The man was sent spinning across the duty road with a swift kick to the chest.

"Appropriate, yes, but quite uncalled for," she smiled at Lee, who was now standing protectively between her and the group of a dozen or so men. If anyone saw him now, they would probably be scared out of their mind by the demonic expression of utmost disgust on Lee's face. "YOU SCOUNDREL'S WOULD DARE DEFILE HITOMI'CHAN WITH YOUR TOUCH?"

"Well, Lee…this does look familiar…" She giggled. Lee blinked for a second, taken aback.

"It's just like how we met!" He grinned and immediately performed the good-guy pose, and blinded several of the spectators, whose numbers were growing rapidly.

* * *

Hinata walked around the corner, and saw a large group of people encircling Ichiraku's. _I wonder what's going on…_

Running over she spotted a certain lazy pineapple-head.

"O-Ohayo Shikamaru-san!"

"Hey Hinata, what's up?"

"W-What's going o-on?"

"A street fight…I think Lee is fighting with some random nobodies…ought to be amusing though, to watch a bunch of big grown men get their butts kicked by an 18-year old…oh yeah, apparently they were harassing that hot girl with the blue hair over there…"

"Oh d-dear…"

Hinata had to stand on her toes to get a good look at what was going on. She saw Lee pounding the living daylights out of a bunch of muscular-looking men, while a pretty girl with beautiful cerulean tresses sat calmly watching Lee's wrathful destruction of the buffoons. _That girl looks familiar.

* * *

_

Neji sat on the peaceful wooden bridge, looking down at the clear, sparkling water beneath him. He could see catfish chasing each other among the willows and reeds. Yes, it was times like these that he treasured. But the more he thought about it, there may be other times where he would truly be happy. He looked beside him at a snoring Tenten, her feet dangling limply on the side. Neji's evil side kicked in about then. _Hmmm…maybe if I pushed her off the side and ran for it…_

He frowned. He quickly took back control of his mind before his evil side could put any more bad ideas into his head. He blinked dazedly in the sunlight and warmth of the golden rays. At that moment, he realized that he hadn't been sent on any missions recently. _Too peaceful nowadays…no idea where the hell Orochimaru…or the Uchihas are…_

He suddenly felt a great sense of foreboding. Something cataclysmic would happen soon, just as they were lulled into a false sense of security. He looked again at Tenten. The wind blew gently, stirring straying strands of long dark hair over her face. She was so innocent-looking, so vulnerable at a time like now. It just made Neji more protective of her. He smirked to himself, remembering a promise he had made a while ago; it was to put out his life for Tenten's whenever she was in danger, he would keep her safe at all costs. Much like something Lee had said before.

But then, he felt a twang of guilt and sadness. They could never be together really. He reasoned with two ideas. One, he was already engaged to that Usaga girl. And two, Tenten was just a friend, nothing more, a close friend, but only a friend and nothing else. _But I guess it's for the best…I'm not worthy of her…I was too cruel…to vengeful…I don't belong with her…she's…too pure to be tainted by myself…_

He closed his eyes and laid back on the soft wooden planks next to Tenten, resting his head in his arms. _And anyways…I also lose the people I hold dear to me…I can't let her suffer my father's fate…but, I also have to be near her to protect her…but if I get too close to her, I'll lose her again to the _

But then he got a radical, new idea.

* * *

"Gentlemen, I would like to present to you Lord Usaga, Kage of the Hidden Rain Village!"

The Hyuuga Council rose up in respect and each of the elders bowed politely in the man's direction. "Lord Usaga, we have been informed that you have chosen to pledge your daughter to Side Branch member Hyuuga Neji…why is that? There are many other more suitable candidates in the Main House…"

"I have heard of this Hyuuga Neji's skill…more over your other…'candidates'"

Hiashi hid a smirk. _At least he's right this time…my brother's son is far superior to any other of the male Main House members…_

"Is that so?" The elder frowned, creasing his brow. His cold white eyes stared frigidly at the Kage. The other elders nodded in agreement.

Hiashi stepped forward. "What I am most curious about, is why is Neji not allowed to have a say in this…"

"He is a Side Branch….his opinion doesn't matter…he exists for our purposes…"

Hiashi glared at the elder. "Well I believe that he is his own person now…"

"Hiashi, are you doing this only because he is your brother's son?"

"No." Hiashi glared icy daggers at the next elder who spoke. The older man merely smiled back.

The Rain Kage also glared at the seated council members. "Well? Does my daughter have permission to wed Hyuuga Neji?"

"Wouldn't you prefer to have your daughter wed to a Main Branch? My grandson is a ANBU and very talented. I'm sure he would love—"

"No…I propose this…Neji will fight these other so-called Main House 'candidates' you speak of…then I will decide."

The elders looked at each other for a few seconds without speaking, and unanimously agreed. Hiashi turned to hide a grin. _If he's anything like his father he'll know what is best…what to do…_

"Usaga, are you coming?"

"Of course Hiashi…"

* * *

Tenten became conscious. _Ohmigod…I've probably slept for the whole day already…_

She rolled over to her right with her eyes closed.

* * *

Neji was somewhere in Lala-land, dancing amongst all the pretty flowers. He grinned in his sleep and rolled to his left.

* * *

Tenten suddenly found another pair of lips pressed against hers. Her eyes popped open in surprised, and she screamed as she realized she had just been kissed by one Hyuuga Neji. She was about to get up when Neji, still sleeping soundly and dreaming of various things, wrapped his arms around her.

"N-Neji!" She poked him hard in the side

"Huh?" He opened his eyes groggily to a red-faced Tenten.

"N-Neji!" He responded by smirking at her.

"Well good morning Tenten, how are you?"

"I-It's about dinnertime now!"

"Why the red face?"

Tenten scrunched her eyes closed and tried to roll away, Neji wouldn't allow it. "No running off now…we have plenty of training to make up for."

"N-NEJI!"

"Hn?"

SLAP! Wow, that slap was heard all the from their current resting place all the way back to Konoha.

Neji bolted upright gripping the searing red mark on his face. Immediately he jumped into the river shouting in agony.

Tenten quickly stood and yelled after him. "NEJI! You YOU ARROGANT PIG! YOU STOLE MY FIRST KISS!"

And guess who happened to be in the vicinity and taking notes?

Jiraiya! He had been making sketches of the two while they were asleep, and drawing on their interactions. This would help him greatly in writing the next volume of Ichta Ichta Paradise.

Anyways, back to the two teenagers. Neji looked back up to Tenten with annoyance.

"NEJI YOU ASS!"

"What? What did I do?" he stared up from his humble position in the riverbed. Water dripped from his wet hair, which now was splayed all over his face. He blinked as a small wave swept over his head.

Tenten opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. _Wow…he looks…hot…urg, why am I thinking these things? …Ack…_

She then jumped in next to him, splashing him with more cold water.

"Tenten?" he asked, hand still clasped over the largeburn mark (A/N that's the power of a kunoichi when angry XD).

"Sorry…but you deserved it"

He frowned, wiping water from his eyes, "It was an accident Tenten, considering I was unconscious…at the time…"

"I'll bet…that you ENJOYED IT!"

Neji flinched visibly. It was Tenten's turn to smirk mischievously. "So, the great Hyuuga Neji, felled by a little kunoichi…"

She leaned forward and flashed one of those adorable smiles in his face.

"I was joking. I actually thought it was rather cute of you to do so!" She splashed him once more and ran off giggling. Neji stood in the shoulder high water. She did not just say he was cute. Hadn't she just been furious? And that smile of hers made him feel all warm and unexplainably cuddly. His brain was going into overload. _Ok…this is just too much…too much trouble…_

Then he remembered that she had slapped him. Hard (mind you he's still got that mark). And then laughed in his face. He blasted out of the water after Tenten.

"TENTEN I'M GOING TO KILL YOU THIS TIME!"

End chp 9

Lee: You are?

Neji: Depends… (shoots a glare at Tenten)

Tenten: What? Yes Neji?

Neji (Glares)

Tenten: Please stop that Neji

Neji: Byakugan!

Tenten: AIEEEEEEE! (Runs away crying)

Lee: …that was very mean…you'll never marry her if you keep this up

Neji: Hn…who asked for your opinion?

Lee: FOR TENTEN'S SAKE! I SHALL REHABILITATE HYUUGA NEJI! FOR THE FUTURE OF THESE TWO PRE-DESTINED LOVE—

Neji: (interrupts Lee by knocking him out) Hurts…maybe I should go apologize to Tenten (runs after Tenten)

Hitomi enters scene

Hitomi: Lee-san, what happened?

Lee: (just a little unfocused) Hahahahaha I have successfully MATCHMAKED THE HYUUGA NEJI AND TENTEN!

Hitomi: 0.o weren't they already a couple?

Lee: …shhhh, they don't know that yet…

K ppl, review and make my day!


	10. Chp 10 Teach Me o God of War

Krazyarchangel: Really? That's good …now about Tenten's bloodline…hehe…heheh…the author is having trouble finishing the plot so he's actually just writing these random side stories…but don't worry, it'll start off next chapter, or maybe it's already stared in this…don't really know…and Tenten's bloodline…shall…NOT be revealed yet…she'll learn about her past and heritage as well…

Evilduck: not really lol, I believe this is how he and Tenten interact…well, yes, I purposely unbalanced their personalities a little to make it more humorous XD

Manuca: Yes…0.0 tenten got her first kiss stolen by a sleeping neji…good lord she must be ticked…save the TOTALLY NOT PART! Lol and yes hitomi is a nice girl isn't she? Her sanity and calmness helps balance out lee's insanity and adrenaline…im trying to make her fit in with the rest of the naruto crew…pls tell me if im doing a good job!

Kaeru Soyokaze: lol yes asskicking and cuddling by both tenten and neji…and if you were gai, wouldn't be freaked to see two of your former pupils sleeping with each other? Not in that sense heheh…heheh…XD hey! u go on fictionpress a lot? Can u also R&R my fic? Called eternal strife…I use same penname

Asura of love: yes female mood swings…they don't suck for you, just the poor boys near you when it hits you…I unfortunately being a boy fall victim to many of these…I still have the marks to prove it XD oh yes and if any of my friends-who-happen-to-be-girls read this…uh…don't hurt me!

Harukakanata: thx lol tenten-neji does rule!

Great Saiyaman: It's called a feminine mood swing…I take it you are a boy who is not surrounded by girls in puberty…not saying that's a bad thing, just me, your limbs will thank you later…yeah I guess its one of the unexplainable things girls do…and they don't even have to be in puberty to do it XD…hehe…heheheheh…oh shit…gets the crap beaten out of him by neighbor…who happens to be girl in puberty…

The essence of popsicles: luv ur long reviews they help me out a lot! Thx for the kakashi-hentai-book correction thingy XD…yes I was aiming to make hitomi seem to be a well-mannered, polite, respectful, girl from noble family…she fits in weith lee perfectly helps keep his insanity down to a bare minimum…yes, the hyuuga elders council all main branch…hiashi actually isn't bad, he apologizes to neji and asks for his forgiveness quite humbly after his match with naruto in the chuunin exams…and usaga isn't evil, just thinking wisely, as he wants best for his daughter, and neji is quite obviously the best in both branches…

Gatzuah: thx for reviewing hope u enjoy the rest! …wow, did u really read all nine chps in one sitting?

Hibiyuru: ya know…I looked it up a couple days ago…and then forgot it again XD nice to know my story is still funny…MUST…START…DAMN…PLOT…BUT…KEEP…COING…UP…WITH… THESE…RANDOM IDEAS!

Moonlightpath: I know, neither can I XD oh wait…I did update…yeah…

Bryr: …shhh…tenten might hear you…

Note: For you Sasuke-fans out there…the now missing-nin returns with a vengeance…

Chapter 10 Teach Me o God of War…

"Hinata! Where have you been?"

"I-I w-was…u-um with my friends…I'm r-really sorry. I promise not to do this again…" Hinata looked down shamefully at her feet. Her father stood in front of her imposingly. His stern face was looking her over.

"Hmmm…you looked rather ruffled…what exactly were you doing…and which…'friend'?"

Hinata let out a small gasp. Had her father already known?

"I…am really sorry father…please forgive me?"

Hiashi smiled, "You didn't stutter on that last question…of course I forgive you, in fact, there really isn't anything to forgive. You're seventeen now. I believe you can control your own life now…choose your destiny, don't let it choose you…"

Hinata looked at her father in surprise.

"And Hinata…I know you fancy that blonde fox boy…"

This caught her attention immediately. She opened her mouth to say something, but her father turned away from her to look out into one of the courtyards near the Main Branch Complex. Hianta looked down. _He knows…he'll never let me be with Naruto-kun…_

"Hinata, tell me, what do you see in Naruto?"

Hinata paused. This question had caught her off guard. She started poking her fingers together again. What did she really think of Naruto. Moreover, why did she like him? _What is…Naruto-kun to me?_

An image of a boy shouting across the classroom at Iruka-sensei, and then one of a blonde boy fighting her cousin, and then his broken body after the failed retrieval mission of Uchiha Sasuke.

"He's…kind…nice…he has courage, which I admire. I always admire his courage, his ability to stand up to people. Even when everyone doesn't seem to like him for some reason. He always greets everyone with a smile and never lets anything get him down. I wish I could be like him, have that courage." Hinata smiled inwardly, unbeknownst to her Hiashi had activated his Byakugan and was examining her facial expressions. "He also treated me nicely too, and gave me some confidence, saying that I would be strong like Neji-niisan…and he helped change Neji-niisan too."

Hinata continued on to discuss several other endearing aspects of Naruto, her pale face occasionally lightening up as she spoke of her crush.

"…and he has a big heart…"

Hiashi nodded without looking at her. He sighed.

Hinata didn't like his reaction. She was worried that he might rebuke her, or say that she could never be with Naruto.

"Father! I, I am sorry, but I can't listen to you, if you order me to stop loving him, because…I-I just can't do so! I want to follow my own path and choose my own life! And I love him, with or without your consent." She slowly looked up at the back of his head defiantly. Then Hiashi did what Hinata had least expected.

He laughed. He, for the first time in Hinata's knowledge, laughed loudly, giving off a booming sound.

"My daughter, is that not what I just said to you? I want you to be happy, choose your life. Something I was unable to do myself…that Naruto boy. An interesting character. I noticed you stopped stuttering whilst talking about him. He must be rubbing off on you." Hiashi's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Well Hinata, I guess, you couldn't have made a more perfect choice…the only problem, is convincing the Council…I believe there are some things you must know about Naruto. He is no mere boy. He is much more. I will leave him to tell you when he feels it is time."

And with that, the head of the Hyuuga clan strode off, leaving a pleasantly surprised Hinata.

* * *

Sasuke sat upon a tree branch, glaring down at a sparkling stream nearby to his right. He was an S-ranked missing nin now, having been deemed one by Konoha about five years back. His new and now ex-master, Orochimaru, had disappeared after a second brief but brutal war between Konoha and Sound, approximately a year after the original one had been fought shortly after his departure from Konoha. Sasuke had deserted Sound after surmising that Orochimaru may have been using him as a tool all along.

He still hadn't found his brother, and he still lusted for revenge. His bloodthirst was evident in his now cold, cruel Sharingan eyes. He had been working alone for the past three years now, taking one mercenary jobs to earn a hard living, while training himself to death. He leaned back against the bark of the tree. Suddenly, a random image of lost friends, especially one certain pink-haired kunoichi, flashed through his mind. _Sakura…_

A clacking noise announced the arrival of his targets along dry, dusty road on his left. Almost casually, he leapt off the branch into the middle of the road.

"Who the hell are you?"

The riders stopped at the sight of Sasuke. The leader suddenly noted Sasuke's headband.

"You're a leaf nin? What are you doing in Cloud territory? Answer!" They immediately drew their weapons out and began to form a semi-circle around Sasuke

"KATON Karyuu ENDAN FLAME WALL NO JUTSU!"

The Cloud Shinobi screamed in twisted agony as they were instantly incinerated by the blazing blue flames.

Later that day, Sasuke claimed the bounty due, and he returned to a small village where he secretly resided. As he walked down the hill towards the village, he noted that there seemed to be some sort of meeting at the town square, as he could see the lights at the center of the small village. He quickly took off his itae headband and hid it in his pocket.

He half skipped in a hurried fashion, half ran down the forested slope through the trees towards the village in the distance.

* * *

Tenten stood still, her head cocked adorably to one-side, all the while gaping at Neji.

Neji was finding it hard to remember what he was trying to do, as he stared back at Tenten's kawaii confused expression. _Dammit Tenten stop that…_

"Yes…" he faltered as she cocked her head to another side, "STOP STARING AT ME LIKE THAT! Ok…as I was saying, I am willing to teach you not only the proper Gentle Fist Form, but the Hakkeshou Kaiten as well…"

She shut her mouth and smiled at him mockingly, "Is this another joke, Neji?"

"No…you wish to become the strongest kunoichi, ja?"

"Yes…but, aren't you banned from teaching me those Hyuuga techniques?"

"Actually, I wasn't even supposed to know the Kaiten, but I taught myself. Being a Side Branch Member, they never expected me to learn the Kaiten, so I never received any instruction not to teach it. We'll pretend that you taught yourself the Gentle Fist." His smirk grew wider.

"Really? YOU ROCK!" She proceeded to glomp him and they both fell backwards.

At that moment, Gai happened to come upon them yet again, while running laps like he always did at midnight. Sweating and puffing, he gaped at the two.

Neji looked back, and pointed at Tenten, who blushed. It stayed silent for a while, with the wind blowing through the trees. They all just stared at each other without speaking.

Gai then suddenly began to cry.

"I-IT JUST GOES BY SOOO FAST! ONE MOMENT YOU'RE MY GENIN CELL, THE NEXT MOMENT YOU'RE JOUNIN AND MAKING OUT WITH EACH OTHER. WAAAHH YOU'RE ALL GROWN UP NOW!"

Then he smiled happily at them through the tears.

"Oh…my Neji and youthful Tenten, I hope you two live to have many children and long and blessed lives together…"

He then proceeded to streak off crying about no more youth.

Neji froze where he was, in Tenten's arms. He did not just hear what Gai had said. _He didn't…just say…wish…that Tenten and I would have…CHILDREN?_

Tenten actually started giggling. She had read his mind.

"Aw come on Neji, he was probably just joking." She smiled and released her vicegrip on him.

They stood up, looked at each other, and turned away blushing.

Neji, trying to retain his cool façade, fought the heat and sudden impulses down, and said, "Okay Ten-chan, let's begin…" Then he realized what he had just absentmindedly called Tenten.

"Neji? Did you hurt your head." She looked at him with motherly concern. "I believe you just called me _Ten-chan_?"

Neji was still turned away from her, but he had just lost the battle to control his facial expressions, so the least he could do was make sure that he didn't turn around and let Tenten see him in this, this, most embarrassing state. But then again, it already wouldn't be the first.

"Okay, the Kaiten…take a guess on how it is performed…"

"It requires immense amounts of chakra and perfect control over it. You channel you chakra through the palms and fingertips of your hands and spin as rapidly as possible, like a gyroscope, and releasing the concentrated chakra to form a sphere around your circular perimeters…and the spinning is what causes the chakra barrier to deflect attacks…

"Good, very good…I see you've kept your eyes open every time I hit you with the attack." He smirked as she made a rather obscene gesture at him. "Now Tenten, that's not very lady-like, is it?"

She hmped and crossed her arms, looking very cross indeed.

"Now let me demonstrate…Hakkeshou: KAITEN!"

Neji went into a twisted crouched stance, with his arms outstretched and positioned for balance, and immediately he straightened up and began spinning rapidly, starting unusually slow, but then speeding up, eventually creating gale-force winds.

"See Tenten? To continue spinning, you pivot of the tip of one foot and throw your other around to gain momentum and speed.

Tenten couldn't believe her eyes; his Kaiten seemed to get stronger every time he used it.

Soon, Neji was rotating within the confines of a golden sphere of solid chakra, expelled from his palms.

"Tenten," he called from inside the sphere, "Try doing what I just showed you! Remember to concentrate the chakra into your hands!"

"Um, okay Neji…"

Tenten closed her eyes and inhaled a large breath of air, to calm herself, and boost her concentration. Once she felt confident, she imitated Neji's starting position, and immediately threw herself into a spin. She found this to be particularly easy. Now came the hard part, as she spun faster.

_Ohmigod this is insane! I'm gonna hurl if I keep this up…_

She then attempted to force out the chakra from her hands. She found that she couldn't solidify the chakra. She tried harder, and she felt some of her chakra leak away. At first, she thought she had did, until she noted that she still hadn't creating a sphere, she was just trailing a thin wisp of chakra with her hands.

Shehe then stopped to catch her breath. Neji had stopped to watch her. He smiled slightly. "Well, you have nice form, it's the chakra expulsion part that's hard. Of course I was surprised you were able to get the physical movement so accurate on your first try…actually took me about three months to stabilize the spinning…but then again, you are about eight years older than I was then…"

"Let me keep trying…okay? Just watch and give me by-the-second instructions…I'm pretty sure I can get it…" She gave him a pleading look.

He closed his eyes smiling, "Well…that's why I'm here…"

* * *

They trained for hours upon hours.

"I think I got it! I THINK I—" She abruptly stopped spinning and collapsed onto the ground in a heap.

"Tenten…take a breather, you look like hell now…" He was meditating underneath the low branches of a willow, as Tenten struggled valiantly but hopelessly to perform the Kaiten. He got up and walked over to Tenten, who was crumpled on the ground.

"…Tenten…get up…I am not carrying you…"

She lay on the cold earth in a fetal position, huggin her knees to her chest.

"Neji…my stomach hurts…ugh…"

"You've used up all your chakra I believe. And I guess we should have dinner, or breakfast, as its almost morning…"

She mumbled something under her breath. He leaned closer trying to figure out what she was saying.

He heard, "Neji…I can't move…please help me?"

She lay rather still in that fetal position, her exhausted eyes closed as she began to doze off. Her white silken shirt was now dirtied with sweat and grime. Neji hadn't seen any girl save Tenten train this hard. He frowned, realizing that she had fallen asleep, evident from her steady breathing and the gentle rising and falling of her chest…

_ACK DON'T LOOK THERE!_

Sighing in a tired way, he bent down and gathered up the sleeping girl and carried her out of the clearing and through the forest towards Konoha. They had actually trained, (well, Tenten mostly) thorugh the night and well into the morning. It was about noon now.

* * *

Hitomi walked around Konoha, satisfying her curisosity. She loved Konoha. It was almost always sunny, with beautiful shades of green, red, yellow, purple, and many other colors surrounding her on every side. Everyone seemed to be so at peace and friendly towards her, and she couldn't help herself from smiling.

She smiled warmly, when a small group of children surrounded her, clamoring to touch her hair (currently a dark purple with black…A/N think misato katsuragi-style from NGE). She absolutely adored children.

"Wow! You're really pretty!"

She laughed as some of the little boys began complimenting her on her features.

"Really now, no need to be so courteous." She patted a little on the head as she knelt down to be eye to eye. "So what's your name?"

"Shugo…are you the ninja girl from Hidden Rain?"

Hitomi blinked, aught off guard. But she quickly regained her posterior and smiled, "So who told you that?"

"My mommy and daddy!" He grinned widely at her, apparently proud of what he had overheard.

"So what were they talking about?"

"They said something about a treat…or treaty? And then they said you were getting married to the Hyuuga Neji! I wanna be like him, 'cuz he's soooo cool! I saw him in the Chuunin Exam!" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see several women laughing as they watched the little boy.

Hitomi laughed, "So Neji does have a large fanbase here. Well, thank you very much for the information!" She stood up and said good-bye to all the children clustered around her, and she began to walk away, when she heard a large crash and several screams and shouts.

She whipped around, and watched in horror, as several burly men plowed their way through the children. Little Shugo was being held up in the air by his collar, by the largest man. He had an eyepatch with a thick brush like mustache.

"So you're 'da bitch who got my friends injured…so I take it you like kids…yeah I love kids too, I love to rip 'em apart and take out their little hearts!"

Hitomi's eye twitched in annoyance. Coldly and emotionlessly, she replied, "Sir, if you would, release the child, he has done nothing wrong."

"The little prick bumped into me."

"Well forgive him then. He only, as I said, a child."

At that moment, a flustered looking women ran into the street and in front of the giant. Hitomi guessed that she was Shugo's mother. "Please sir! Let my child go! I'm really sorry if he has done anything wrong, but please, he's only 4!"

"Outta my way woman!" He backhanded her viciously, sending her crashing to the ground. Hitomi plunged a hand inside her robes.

The Shugo's mother got up again and went back in front of the man and his friends. "Sir, I beseech you let my son go!" She begged him pleadingly.

Hitomi hated seeing people like this. But maybe, just maybe, the man might have some moral in him…

To her shock, she watched as the man pulled out a knife and plunged it into the mother's stomach. Shugo screamed, "Onee-san!" as he watched her mother crumple to the ground with a pool of blood forming around her.

"You INSOLENT, UNFORGIVABLE BASTARDS!" Every syllable in Hitomi's voice shook with anger as she glared at the group. "You're going to pay dearly for this…"

They laughed at her, "So you're going to kill us all? By yourself?"

"I need not kill you fools, you aren't worth it…" She noted that there were several containers of water behind the men.

She clasped her hands together in a hand seal. "Water-style SUI NEEDLES."

The water in the barrels behind the suddenly rose into the air to form glistening spikes. She gestured with her hand at the men. In a split second the men were impaled by dozens of long needles of water, which were turning red with the blood. The leader dropped Shugo, who ran to his mother's side.

"SHE'S A FSKING NINJA!"

"What did you expect?" In a flash and a puff of smoke, she was in front of the man. She frowned, "You're supposed to be on the ground now…" As if by her command, all of the men crumpled to the ground.

She quickly spun around to kneel beside Shugo's mother.

Hnn…deep, but nothing I cannot handle… 

She quickly performed a deft series of handseals, and her hands began glowing with a white aura. Shugo watched in astonishment as the bleeding wound began to slowly seal itself magically before his eyes. A second later, there wasn't even a scar left to show any sign of the former injury.

"Wahh! NIISAN YOU'RE SOOO COOOL! YOU SAVED ONEE-SAN!" Hitomi was sent sprawling backwards when Shuge launched himself her midsection, squealing with happiness.

She laughed and hugged him back as she stood up with him. His mother had regained consciousness and saw Hitomi hugging Shugo.

"Uh, Miss?" She checked her wound, which had disappeared without a trace, "Did you do this?"

Hitomi nodded as she picked up the four-year old.

"Thank you very much!"

"No need to thank me…they deserved it," she nodded at the groaning thugs on the ground. "Your son?" She handed Shugo over to his mother.

"Thank you," she bowed to Hitomi, who abruptly bowed back in politeness, "So you must be the daughter of the Rain Kage?"

"That is correct."

"So the rumors were true, you are beautiful, polite, and very noble."

Hitomi blushed at the praise, and mumbled a thank you, bowing again.

"Ahh, you don't need to bow to me, Lady Usaga. You are of noble blood, I am just one of the townsfolk!"

Hitomi shook her head. "No, I'm just a girl who happened to be born at the wrong place, wrong time, and in the wrong family."

"How can you say that? The Usagas are very prestigious, a clan. It would be an honor just to work for them!"

"Yes, but still…" she looked away, her eyes lost, staring into eternity, "sometimes it would be better to be normal…"

She turned to look back at Shugo's mother, "I am sorry, I'm placing my trouble upon another person again." She clasped a hand to her head, tired.

"Are you alright, Lady Usaga?"

"Hitomi…just plain Hitomi, please, um…your name, I do not know yet…?"

"Kenta…Musamori Kenta."

Hitomi nodded, her hand still placed over her temple. "My apologies, it is getting late…I-I am a bit tired now…um…Musamori-san? I beg of your leave…"

Kenta nodded, and Hitomi turned to leave. She turned slightly and waved good-bye, smiling when Shugo waved back at her with his tiny hand.

She left through the Eastern Gates of Konoha, to be by herself in the forest. After showing the ANBU guards her identification and travel papers (and they saluted her immediately after finding out who she was).

End chp 10

Hitomi: Good Evening everybody! So how is everyone? (smiles warmly at everyone)

Neji: you can cut it with the cuteness…

Tenten: I win!

Neji: what?

Tenten: You said "cute"!

Neji: I said "cuteness"…

Tenten: "cute" is part of "cuteness"

Neji: …

Hitomi: She is right, Neji-san, "cute" is the root for "cuteness" …

Neji: …Women are so troublesome…

Shikamaru: I hear ya, Neji (pats Neji's back sympathetically) so troublesome…

Neji: …Where did you come from?

Shikamaru: oh, I was just running away from—

Temari runs into scene

Temari: Shika-kun! (glomps shikamaru) Oh hey Tenten! Whats up? (hanging off Shikamaru's neck grinning madly)

Tenten (halfheartedly watching the "couple") Oh nothing really…the usual…(glances at Neji)

Temari: (winks) Oh, so still no luck?

Neji: …You understand that I can read your minds practically…

Tenten and Temari stick tongues out at Neji…Shikamaru rolls his eyes…

Temari: Hmmm…still the cold fish…

Neji: Who's a cold fish?

Temari: You! Tenten, don't sweat it, I'll work him over (cracks an evil grin as she releases Shikamaru from her death grip)

Shikamaru: Hey Hyuuga…some advice…run like hell…

Neji: Why?

Temari: BECAUSE OF THIS! (suddenly appears above Neji and drops a cage over him)

Neji: I do hate the female race with such a passion…

Temari: Oi! Tenten! Wanna put him in your room?

Hitomi and Shikamaru: 0.o

Tenten: (smiles happily and hugs Temari!) THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!

Temari: No problem! I love doing this! Matchmaking is so fun!

Neji: She call this matchmaking? Tenten? I hate you…

Tenten: (hugs cage) Iknow…but we're still going to get along just fine, right Neji-kun?

Neji: …

Hitomi: Oh dear…

K ppl review...and please make reviews longer and just a little more detailed...if thats not too much to ask...cuz it will help me a lot more in my writing, in other words, ill update faster...comments, questions, and constructive criticism and naruto corrections needed in reveiws pls

here's a little bit of the next chapter, which is mostly about Hitomi XD...

* * *

Alone in the forest, she leaned against a tree with one hold, clutching her forehead with the other. _Curses…my head hurts…_

_Why was I born into this family? Why couldn't I have a normal life?_ She suddenly lashed out and cleaved the tree in half with a one chakra-powered slash. Tears began falling slowly out of her eyes. She remembered how her family had beaten into the fact that she only lived to further the integrity of the Usagas, and would listen to her father, the head of the clan, whether she liked it or not. _Why can't I control my life…it's my life…not yours, father…not yours_…

She danced gracefully through the forest, in a solemn, sorrowful set of movements, whipping around her pure-white chakra whip at the trees, whispering, "I want to live a normal life…I want to start a family of my own wishes…I want to travel around the world…"

She suddenly fell to the ground, weeping. "FATE! GIVE ME MY LIFE BACK!"

_Dammit dammit DAMMIT!_

* * *


	11. Chp 11 Kill or Be Killed

YA! I HAVE OVER A HUNDRED REVIEWS T-T so happy…

And ya! U ppl actually listened whne I asked for longer reviews! Just u missed the part about comments, questions, and criticism lol XD but it doesn't really matter too much…well it does…but hey, that's life

Ok, now to thank ppl

Moonlightpath: ur not alone…as many neji-tenten authors know, I always review anonymous…hehe im lazy…u got banned for a list…wow…that's harsh…and I enjoyed that fic…save that fact that tenten didn't have any quotes…XD THX FOR THE LONG REVIEW! …k ill move on now….

Japponess: …they've been thought to have made out with each other by the majority of the populace of konoha…hehe…poor neji…tenten probably could care less…kaiten…uh…she'll master it soon, as she's quite experienced now…

Hyugatenten:thx and yes if neji can smile then hiashi can laugh…privately that is…actually…I'd probably say neji mastered it within fourth months…his chakra control is practically prefect so the chakra expulsion wouldn't take him as long…ph34r hitomi the avenger XD…and neji knows what would happens if anyone saw them, so lets just say he decided to take the scenic detour so they could go and…stuff…censored…jk

Kaeru Soyokaze: wow, im learning more Japanese with every review lol thx for the tip…how do u say "uncle" in Japanese?

The essence of popsicles: luv reading ur reviews, they're so detailed and to the point, and they're still long XD…hmmm…about the mary-sue…okay…I shall now give a list of Hitomi's imperfections checks list…uh…lessee…first off…she has suicidal tendencies…you learn about them soon enough…she has something like a split personality which will also find out…she's not exactly always the calm, warm, friendly girl everyone loves…does sadistic killer mean anything to you? Hehe everyone's got their little private quirks…and yes, there will be shikatema, once the plot allows her to come in…which could take a while XD…and we boys all have trouble with our hormones…such as during sleep overs…common subject: girls, girls, and uh…sex? And drugs JKJK one my closer friend is a PMSing girl and she happens to be my neighbor…and no, so you will not see tenten's bloodline for a very long while! Hehe attempts to laugh maniacally im evil

Hibiyuru: yes, like the naruto series, it starts off on the lighter side with lots of humor, and then proceeds to get darker and darker…best writer? Hehehe…T-T I wish

Senjou: nah…she's rather…er…fond of neji…ahhhh…so that's what the rain kage is called…anyone noticed I have never used mizukage yet? Oh wait a sec…isn't that hidden mist? This is hidden rain…XD…or are they both called mizukage?

Harukakanata: of course its hitomi-neji, what the hell are you thinking…oh wait…just kidding of course its tenten-neji…well…its gonna be neji-someone…hahahahahahahaha evil laugh

H!kAR: np, so how was manila? XD kissing scenes…tenten and neji willing…hnnn…I shall write an omake for this chapter about kissing then…

Asura of love: nah, hitomi wouldn't do that XD she's too nice…well, to most people heheh…u haven't guessed who Lee will end up with? Well I hope this chapie clears that issue up u prefer inoshika eh? …welll uh sry to disappoint you, but I paired him up with shikamaru…they seem to fit together better as a couple; shikamaru and ino seem to only work well as friends only, nothing more…and yes, sasuke coing back…guess who he's gonna be paired with? HITOMI!

Great Saiyaman: how was I supposed to know u were being sarcastic lol XD okies here's the next chappie

Chapter 11 Kill or Be Killed

Alone in the forest, she leaned against a tree with one hold, clutching her forehead with the other. _Curses…my head hurts…_

_Why was I born into this family? Why couldn't I have a normal life?_ She suddenly lashed out and cleaved the tree in half with a one chakra-powered slash. Tears began falling slowly out of her eyes. She remembered how her family had beaten into the fact that she only lived to further the integrity of the Usagas, and would listen to her father, the head of the clan, whether she liked it or not. _Why can't I control my life…it's my life…not yours, father…not yours_…

She danced gracefully through the forest, in a solemn, sorrowful set of movements, whipping around her pure-white chakra whip at the trees, whispering, "I want to live a normal life…I want to start a family of my own wishes…I want to travel around the world…"

She suddenly fell to the ground, weeping. "FATE! GIVE ME MY LIFE BACK!"

_Dammit dammit DAMMIT!_

She knelt in front of what was left of a tree; it had been flawlessly diced into small cubes.

She stared hard at the cold, soft earth beneath her, as her tears flowed freely from her face and into the brown soil. She felt alone. She had been raised apart from the other children. While they learned together in classes, she was taught and trained by either her father, or private instructors and trainers. While other children laughed, cried, and grew together, she did so alone.

How she had wished for a friend. But her father told her that she was not to associate herself with the "lessers" of society, and prevented her from going out of the Clan Estates.

Hitomi had dealt with her pain by trying to bury it all with relentless hours of training, working until she could no longer stand or think properly, and fall into a dreamless sleep. She kept this up everyday.

Those who new her regarded her as a girl of few words; she was always calm, never caught off guard and polite to the highest regard. She always held human life as her first priority, but never wavered in killing someone if presented with no other possibility.

After her prodigious display of skill and mental coolness in the face of danger, she was heralded as the next Kage of Rain, especially after Tsunade became the first female Hokage of Leaf.

* * *

Flashback 

"Hitomi-sama, your father has given me permission, actually an order, to give you your first mission. I personally feel that you should start out with a C-rank, but your father insisted on at least a B-rank…you will be assigned to a cell of shinobi, where you will accompany them on their mission. This is a guard mission."

The administrator blinked benignly at her through his spectacles, rubbing his beard in thought. "But I want you to know, that if you feel that you are not ready for a B-ranked mission, I will assign you a C-ranked one, and sway your father…he is indeed a great leader, but he can be rather demanding sometimes…you are only a ten-year old girl. Not that I doubt your abilities, it is your mental state which is not prepared, brand-new to the experience of true combat. I understand that you practice against naked blades, but how will you fare against the unexpected…? That is my greatest concern, Hitomi-sama. It is your choice…"

He smiled at her, shuffling some papers.

Hitomi looked on emotionlessly. After quick contemplation, she answered, "Sir, I am prepared for a B-ranked mission, if my father wishes it, then his will be done. I am ready. If I am not ready now, will I ever be?"

The administrator laughed, "Answer a question with a question? Ha, your maturity and I.Q. is much more than said. Your maturity level especially. So a B-rank it is…" He pulled out the mission form and some personal information for Hitomi. But he paused as he was about to put his signature on it, the quill hovering over the paper. He looked up, into her eyes. "My dear child, are you sure? I do not want to give this to you if you choose it only due to your father's ambitions…"

"No…I do it for myself…and myself only. I must prove to my father that I can control my own life…and succeed…" She smiled politely at him. He grinned toothily at her, and immediately scribbled his signature on it. Rolling up the parchment, he handed it to her with his seal of approval.

"Hitomi-sama. Good Luck, I believe in you." He smirked, "I'll be sorely disappointed if you failed…"

Hitomi flashed him a genuine smile, before disappearing through the door. Sighing, he shook his head and went back to filing the most recent mission updates. Suddenly Hitomi appeared again at the doorway?

"Yes Hitomi-sama?"

"Raieko-san, you are many years my senior," she bowed to him, "Please, just call me Hitomi…"

He nodded, smiling in appreciation, "Very well, Hitomi…"

She nodded and quickly ran away.

* * *

Hitomi was the rear guard, following in the back of the small group, as they were afraid that the enemies would attack her first. This particular cell currently had five members, all Chuunin. Hitomi was wearing a long jet-black cloak, which covered her from head to toe. No one, not even her own teammates, had realized that she was only ten at the moment, as she had kept her hood over her face for all of the trip 

Keeping her face level, her eyes flicked from object to object, observing and cross-examining everything within her sight, to make sure no one was stalking them. They were just about the target village too, as the person they were protecting pointed out. Their target was a rich merchant. He had even brought along his personal bodyguards, who happened to be samurai.

A sudden wind blew through the clearing they had been traversing at the moment, and everyone stopped. Not a good omen. Several shurikens whirled at the group from behind, but Hitomi whipped around, unsheathing her kidachi beneath her robes without making excess motions. Without blowing her cover, she smoothly and skillfully knocked all of the stars to the ground. A cry from the front of the group was heard when the lead Chuunin took a katana stab through the heart.

To his credit, the Chuunin, as his last deed, pulled out his kunai and dealt a mortal blow to his cloaked assailant, and the two crumpled lifelessly to the ground together.

Hitomi found herself barking out commands from beneath the hood. All of the Rain shinobi and the samurai formed a circle around the merchant, who's portly face was now sweating and shaking in fear.

"Okay, we need to flush them out, get them into the open…samurai, I hear you are exceptional in close combat, ja? We'll draw them out and you finish them."

The Rain nins leapt away towards the trees to lure out their enemies, and they were not disappointed, as a dozen odd shinobi emerged to combat them.

The samurai, at the sight of the enemy, rushed into battle alongside the Chuunin. Asnd they did their work well, slaying several of the opposing shinobis with a few swift slashes. But then Hitomi realized, as she fended off a towering nin with her kidachi, that the samurai had just left the merchant open. She quickly knocked out the nin, as she was afraid to take human life at that time, and she charged towards the merchant, just as three enemy nins emerged from the bushes behind him.

I can't reach him in time! I'm going to have to cripple them! 

"SUI NEEDLES FUSILADE!" hundreds of senbon-like water needles formed from moisture in the air, and the threw themselves at the nins, catching them from behind and felling all of them in a splash of blood. But they were alive, even though they were crippled

Right after she felled them, she heard a cry from behind, and she whirled around, to find the rest of her cell dead as another dozen or so shinobis had ambushed them.

No…I've failed to keep my team safe…but I still have to complete the mission. She wondered why the merchant was so important, as to have so many shinobi after him. She felt a spark of annoyance go off somewhere in her mind. She couldn't let herself fail, no what she had to do. She thought it over as she crouched in front of the merchant. Failure was not an option. She'd methodically kill every single opposing shinobi if she had to, no quarter given, as none would be given. 

She took off her cloak. At that moment, everyone stopped in their tracks. Both the merchant and the enemy shinobis were gaping silently at this ten-year old girl, who seemed rather out of place in a field of blood like this.

Suddenly, the merchant noticed that the girl (he didn't know her age yet, but he knew she was a girl) was no longer standing in front of him. He was about to faint. The enemy nins also noticed this. They tensed, looking around

Suddenly, she was twirling like pirouette in their midst, as she appeared in a burst of smoke. Wielding her kidachi with lethal efficiency and unmatched speed, she delved into the group, immediately decapitating the three in front of her. Three spurts of blood flecked her garbs with crimson.

A nin ran at her from behind and thrusted his katana out towards her unprotected back. She turned, spun, and twisted around the blade. Whipping out a kunai, she instinctively buried it into the man's stomach as he fell past her. She looked down, and saw, in astonishment, her hands covered in red; her fingerless gloves were already soaked with blood.

Two more came at her, attacking from both sides. She parried with ease, creating looks of shock on both shinobi. She leapt up and split kicked the two away, and then she charged at another, kicking up dust behind her. She leapt high, so she would be able to launch an attack with the sun directly behind her, blinding her target.

The shinobi leapt away, but still received a slash down his arm. With his other, he hurled three shuriken at her. Suddenly, in mid-flight they split into three more miniature ones.

Hitomi flew towards the incoming blades without any sign of fear. At the last moment, she hurled herself into the air, and she twisted in the air, dodging every shuriken by moving or spinning around in mid leap (A/N crazy matrix style moves…).

Spinning forward, she spearheaded into the man who threw the stars, holding her kunais in front of her head, so that she stabbed him squarely in the chest.

Leaping away, she blocked a cut coming at her shoulders and reversed her spin, stabbing a kunai into the side of the assailant's jugular, releasing a flood of the scarlet life force.

Right as she landed, a whistling noise filled the air, and before she could react, three kunais struck her back, and she collapsed on the ground, crying out in pain.

_Ungh…didn't imagine it to be so pain—_

She felt herself being roughly dragged into the air, as two massive fists grasped her shirt.

"Little girl, who do you think you are? And why are you wearing the mark of Hidden Rain at so young a age?" The man glared into her eyes. For once, Hitomi was scared. She was scared that she would die, without anyone knowing. She was afraid of dying forgotten by people.

"Speak up, wench!"

Hitomi cringed as the man wrapped his burly hands around her tiny neck, choking her. Her hands, unnoticed by the man, went to her belt, grappling for something, a weapon.

"Very well, I cut you into a dozen pieces for your insolence…" He raised a lethal-looking scythe, and was about to decapitate her, when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and looking down, saw not one, but five senbon sticking out of several keys areas over his vitals. With a look of disbelief, he slumped forwards, crushing her with his bulk.

_Damn it!_

As much as she tried, she couldn't wriggle out from under the man. The man's remaining comrades then moved in for the kill. She shut her eyes tightly, as she knew she was forced into her last option: using her bloodline.

_ACTIVATE! USAGA BLOODLINE!

* * *

_

Three robed figures waited in the village square, as people milled about them doing their daily business.

"He is late…should we be worried?"

"He may have run into the assassins sent by _him_…"

"He has those samurai bodyguards of his, and from what I heard, he also requested an escort from Hidden Rain…"

"But…at most they will send Chuunin…no Jounin…We should have given him another escort…"

* * *

The odd pair limped into town, receiving strange stare and queer looks from the townspeople. The merchant, whose name was Sai, was supporting what appeared to be a small, fragile looking ten-year old, who, to the horror of the bystanders, was apparently covered in blood, as was the cloak she was holding onto tightly. The girl's hair was even more unusual; its was a light shade of blue, as azure as the waters of the oceans to the south. 

Before they reached the first intersection, they were suddenly confronted by three garbed individuals.

"Merchant Sai, I see you made it in one piece. Who is this child?" Hitomi looked up, one of her eyes shut to prevent blood from flowing into it. "My name is Hitomi…I am what is left of the Hidden Rain escort given to Merchant Sai."  
She then slumped over, unconscious. The three men four men looked at each other.

"She looks about ten…is she serious?"

Sai nodded vigorously. "Yes, in fact she killed the most of the assassins. She was absolutely remarkable as a fighter, never knew Hidden Rain had such skilled younglings…before I realized her age I had thought she was jounin…something close to it, she has demonic speed…I couldn't follow her movements at all. But unfortunately for her, some of the enemies were able to, as it appears. Poor thing, I owe this child my life."

"Then she has made some allies…come, let us find an inn where ewe can treat her wounds."

One of the robed men gingerly scooped her tiny frame against his contrasting one and walked off towards the center of town.

* * *

Hitomi woke up with a start. She noted she couldn't see out of one eye, and that the room was dark. Gingerly, she placed a hand over her eye, and found that there was a large wad of bandages covering it. She felt around her head and found that she literally had a headband of bandages. She looked under her bed covers and saw that she was wearing little more than a T-shirt and loose shorts. And beneath them were more bandages. 

She frowned thinking. _Where am I?_

At that moment, Raieko entered the room, flanked by an elder man she didn't know.

"Hitomi-san, my praises on your first mission completion, and deepest regrets to your late cell members. I am glad that you are safe now…" He smiled sadly at her. "So…how was it? Your first mission?"

Hitomi carefully pondered this question, sitting up. What did she think of it?

"It was…new…almost dream-like…I…didn't really believe it until after the whole scenario happened. It was the killing part…which shocked me the most."

"Yes indeed, killing another human being is often the most difficult part of a shinobi's life to accept…" his expression changed slightly as he pushed up his glasses, "But based on the mission reports…I believe you made…19 of the confirmed 24 kills…personally…" His gaze shifted again, as his look became more concerned, more fatherly.

The mention of the dead immediately caused all of her memories of what had happened rush back into her mind like a tidal wave. Instantly, she remembered beheading three men without hesitation, their blood splattering her clothes and face; when she shoved a kunai into the gut of the man, she could still feel the slick wetness of his blood seeping through her fingers. She shivered at the thought. She could hear the screams of the men had killed. She stared motionlessly at some far-off place in front of her, as a single tear trickled out of her eye, running slowly running down her cheek, as the realization hit home. She had taken life. She had killed. She was not the little ten-year old girl everyone always saw; she was already a killer, a murderer.

Soon after the first tear, many more came. And Raieko, the old administrator, and the man watched in somber silence.

"Hitomi-sama…are you alright…?"

Without turning her gaze, she opened her mouth, and replied shakily, "R-Raieko-san…I-I…k-killed them…I k-killed t-them…I killed them…l-like they weren't h-hmunas, but m-mere objects…I killed them…with my b-bare hands. I can't b-believe my self."

Raieko motioned for the man to leave. The man nodded and exited the room quickly. Sighing, Raieko turned back to Hitomi and sat down on the side of her bed.

"Hitomi…war…is a part of life. If you are not willing to kill, then you will be killed. But I agree, it is cruel, to take human life, just like that. But for each enemy you kill, you save the life of one of your comrades, as well as your people. I know it sounds harsh, but the way of the ninja is to kill, or be killed. I know how you feel. I remember the time when I first killed someone…I was stuck in a shell-shocked state for about a week. Hitomi…" he paused, thinking, "It will be hard, but to succeed as a ninja, you must learn to be able to take human life. Of course, the thing that troubles me most, is the fact that your father sent you, a little ten-year old girl, on a B-ranked mission. He should have understood that you were way too young to go through such an experience unscathed…"

She looked at him, as tears continued to flow freely from her eyes. Raieko looked at her sadly. With grandfatherly care, he hugged her close to him and said soothingly. "Don't cry now child, it's not your fault…you were doing in self-defense, as well as for the sake of other people…There's nothing to worry about."

She hugged him back tightly, sobbing into his robes.

From that on, she spent as much time as possible with Raieko-san, looking up to him like as if he was her grandfather. He, never having had any children, took care of her and acted as her guardian and mentor.

End Flashback

* * *

Hitomi stared at the ground, watching her tears soak into the damp earth. She felt so alone. She wished that Raieko-san was here. She could really use his advice right now.

* * *

Lee was taking a nice stroll through the forests of Fire Country when he heard a twig snap. He whipped around, and immediately a grin flashed across his face. It was his squirrel-friend, Teddy-chan, who was the squirrel he had rescued from the explosive tag during the Chuunin Exam, and led him to Sakura's team. 

The little critter chattered happily, his mouth stuffed with acorns. Squeaking merrily, it crawled up Lee's pant legs and vest and proceeded to rest on his shoulder.

"Heya little fellah, haven't seen you in a while! So what's up?"

The squirrel chattered something in Lee's ear (A/N …yes Lee does talk with animals on a regular basis…coughkibacough).

"There's someone else here? Some strange girl who is crying?"

The squirrel nodded eagerly, as he swallowed one of the half a dozen acorns stuffed in his bulging cheeks.

"LEAD THE WAY!" he did his super-guy pose right there, as the squirrel leapt away in another direction. Grinning madly, Lee chased after it.

After a couple minutes of running, he and the Teddy-chan came across a slight clearing, which apparently had been made by what appeared to be a heard of ranging elephants. Then Lee the little wood blocks littering the area. _No, elephants can't possibly have done this…_

Then he heard a small sobbing sound, and following it, he came across none other than Hitomi-chan, who was kneeling on the ground, her purple tresses flowing down around her face. Tears dripped nonstop from her eyes.

_She looks so sad…she needs a hug!_ (A/N this why everyone thinks Lee is "adorably innocent") 

What did Lee do next? He snuck up silently behind her, knelt down on the ground beside her trembling frame, and slung a supporting arm across her shoulders and hugged her close to him.

* * *

Hitomi's eyes widened in shock, as she felt someone grab her and draw her close. She turned her head to the side, and saw through her bangs a smiling Lee. She stared unbelievingly for a second at him, and abruptly hugged him around the waist, sobbing into his vest.

* * *

Lee looked on in surprise, as Hitomi-chan returned the hug forcibly, wrapping her slender arms around his waist, and buried her face into his chest. He then smiled warmly patted her back reassuringly, whispering calming words into her ear. 

"Don't worry, Hitomi-chan, I'll always be there for you! I'll protect you with my life!" The squirrel danced happily around the two, jumping around, and then falling over due to the extra weight of all the acorns.

Hitomi's sobbing gradually slowed, and her ragged breathing began to become more fluid. Lee began dozing off slightly, listening to the slight sound of her breathing.

"Lee-san?"

"Yes Hitomi-chan?" he looked down attentively at her.

"Thank you…for this…"

"It was no problem Hitomi-chan! I already swore to be there when you needed me, so here I am!" He grinned. Her face still buried in his vest, she smiled nodded faintly.

A moment later, Lee noticed that she appeared to have stopped moving.

"Hitomi-chan…?" he frowned when she didn't answer. He gently touched the side of her pale face. She was sound asleep. _Wow…she's so cute when she sleeps…it makes me happy to see her happy!_

(A/N who else has a bigger heart than Lee, eh?)

Smiling happily, he held her tighter and rested his chin over her head protectively. _Sleep well…I, Rock Lee, will watch over you…_

End chapter 11

Hitomi: (sniffs) Lee-san…that was so sweet of you…

Lee: anything for you Hitomi-chan… (blinding teeth go PING)

Tenten: (blinks dizzily) ow Lee watch where you're aiming those things…argh my eyes…

Neji: BL…I thought I heard you mention you were pairing sasuke with Hitomi?

BL: er, about that…

Lee: (glares at BL) what was that?

BL: er nothing…hehe…pls dont hurt me….

Lee: LOTUS!

(censored for violence)

Neji: Lee…that enough…he already said he would pair you up with Hitomi…of course…that was before you snapped his spinal cord…

Tenten: T-T Neji I'm scared…I don't wanna die! (hides behind Neji, looking fearfully at the bloody lee)

Neji: …XD

Yeah ok thx for reading! Now review…it'll help me recover faster from the injuries sustained from lee…remember…longer reviews…comments, questions, and constructive criticism…pls...srt tenten and neji didnt really show up in this chappie

Oh yeah…and to asura of love and anyone else who thought I was serious when I said I was pairing sasuke with hitomi…uh…I was jking…just hoping you got the fact I was being sarcastic XD


	12. Chp 12 Delusions of Love

Hyugatenten: lol I'm always too lazy to log in…XD yes violence is good…very good, im addicted to it ; D Lol a lot a ppl have done that before…itachi for example…he was like already jounin by thirteen or something…

Japponess: now that you mention it…I don't ever recall reading a fic with serious LeeOC…XD ohmigod I think I just did a first! Lol

Hibiyuru: yeah I thought I should put some background info in for hitomi makes her seem more real, lol…no I will not hug lee…I would prefer to have him teach me the lotus!

H!kAR: whoa…long review…XD aww u broke the action figure lol…my friend came back from a anime convention…and he gave me a…surprise! A TENTEN MODEL!…hehehe yes I know im obssessed with tenten…now about ur suggestion, lol didn't really ask for any, just comment and questions etc. but that's ok lol…ur suggestion…well…the only problem is…that tenten is an orphan…and has always lived by herself, the apartment given to her out of kindness by the community…and funnily enough, after 7 yrs of knowing her, neji doesn't know she's an orphan XD …poor tenten…buuuut…that where the bloodline comes in…a little preview of whats to come…she has a brother…who is an absolute kickass ninja…who killed hitomi's brother…OHMIGOD! Jkjk yes she has a kickass brother, and no the brother did not kill hitomi's brother…well…actually…that might be a pretty good idea…XD im such a sadist…

Kaeru Soyokaze: thx for the Japanese language info lol…hmmm (imagines inserting Lee into the emperors new groove) …omfg…my mind just blew up XD

Harukakanta: yes, hitomi is very interesting…

Moonlighpath: lol I hope u got the point that I was jking when I said I would pair her up with sasuke right? Lol yes I think lee deserves someone like her, with his big heart and all…I luv writing fight scenes! …cuz im addicted to violence…COUGHCOUNTERSTRIKECOUGH…

Asura of love: I joke too much XD… uh, how should I put this…it's a novel…centered a round tenten yes, but it will cover most of the characters thoroughly, with neji-tenten as dominant pairing…u understand? Lol if not that's okay, as long u still like the story!

Senjou: actually the info halped me a lot so thx! No criticism? Lol how about comments and questions? XD yes im obsessive…

MisSs005: yeah more romance more now…along with some angst XD…this chapter doesn't really have a point except for the conversation between hiashi and neji and the arrival of temari…lol enjoy!

D: nice name yeah im such a violent person

gatzuah: lol same here lee fits well with itomi XD and yes tenten kicks ass as usual …but sakura might have something to say about sasuke…

Ok…do to all the requests for more fluff…I sux at fluff….but I guess u readers can decide…so I've pretty written this chapter just to have some random pointlessfluff and stuff…and more stuff…

Chapter 12 Delusions of Love

Tenten slept peacefully on the swing, while a half-conscious Neji attempted to sleep. But he found he couldn't stop staring at Tenten's face. He found that the more watched Tenten, the more he wanted to sleep, as it made him feel happy, and at peace. On the other hand, one side of him wanted him to stay awake so he could marvel at Tenten's kawaii-ness. (A/N Neji decides to use kawaii instead of "cute" for certain reasons).

Being Neji, he favored sleeping, but that one side of him was so madly in…er…nevermind. Let's just say it was strong enough to keep him awake.

So he meditated on the lawn in front of the swing, bathed in the moonlight.

If someone was to see them, it would indeed be rather awkward. After all, picture the Hyuuga Neji, attempting to but failing miserably, to meditate in front a pretty, sleeping, kunoichi on a hammock, at night.

Unfortunately for Neji, Hinata chose that moment to get out of bed and walk out onto the balcony outside her room. From her high point on the Main Branch Complex, she could see someone sitting in the courtyard. Being unable to sleep, due to the fact that Naruto still hadn't arrived home from his mission, she decided to go and investigate.

Neji sat on the cool grass, a vein twitching visibly on his forehead. He wanted to sleep, but fate was cruel, and he was allowed none, while Tenten, on the other hand, slept like a rock. A very…kawaii rock, as Neji would reluctantly put it.

He frowned, pursing his lips. He slumped backwards, falling upon the cool grass beneath him. Blinking he, stared up into the star-filled night sky, as the little spots of lights twinkling and sparkled like a caches of diamonds cascaded onto a black background. _So beautiful…the night sky…makes me wonder about things…like whether I'll ever be free of the damn cur—_

Hinata's face suddenly popped into his view. (A/N Neji's current facial expression 0.0) He blinked stupidly. Then he realized who was standing above him looking down on him. Normally, if anyone other than Tenten had disturbed him, he would have massacred them. But like Tenten, Hinata was an exception now, starting soon after the Chuunin Exams five years ago.

After his defeat at the hands of Naruto, he had brought to realization, that you could control your fate, and that sometimes some things just weren't a specific person's fault. Like Hinata, for example, as she was of the Main Branch, but never had any thought of placing the curse on Neji. He began to view her as family, after his match with her (and also due to the fact that Tenten had started treating Hinata like a younger sister, so she would beat him every time he scared Hinata). He had grown rather found of the Hyugua heiress now as well, swearing to protect her.

"Yes Hinata-sama?" He moved an eyebrow questioningly.

"O-Oh it's you, Neji, I thought you were someone else…"

"Really? Who?" He smirked.

"Oh n-no I just didn't recognize you…um…Neji?"

"Hn?"

"Why are you sleeping in the courtyard?"

"Actually I wasn't…I tried…but I failed, due to certain…distractions…"

Hinata then looked at the prone form of the brunette kunoichi dozing away on the hammock linked between two willow trees.

"Why is Tenten-san here?"

"Because she fell asleep during training…and the Estate was closer than her apartment…and I don't know her parents…" Neji closed his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Um Neji-niisan?"

"Hn?"

"What exactly are your feelings for her…?"

In a flash, Neji's arm shot out and pulled her down to the ground roughly, and rolling over, he pinned her to the ground.

"Who are you and what have you done with Hinata-sama?"

"N-Neji! I-I am H-Hinata!" Her eyes widened in fear as Neji immediately activated his Byakugan.

"…Oh…it is you…that question…was unexpected…" He leapt up and gently pulled her to her feet, brushing her clothes off.

Hinata looked at her feet, blushing. "Um well Neji…I-If it's not too personal, could you…?"

"Tenten…is possibly my closest and most trusted friend and partner…that is it…"

"Oh…okay…because…well," Hinata couldn't bring her eyes to look into Neji's, "Tenten's been in a slump lately, with your engagement to Hitomi-san…she seems sad, heartbroken almost. She's…um, told me that she…er…lo—"

Tenten chose that moment to wake up, and feeling refreshed and mischievously, she decided to glomp Neji, who's back was turned to her.

"Oommff!"

"Neji!" Tenten grinned happily as she hung off Neji's neck with her arms wrapped around him.

"Hn…I see you're awake now…Hinata-sama…I believe you should get to bed now…don't worry about Naruto…the only threat to him is me…"

"Oh hey Hinata-chan! What're you doing up so late?"

"Oh, I just…couldn't really sleep…" She flushed again and looked down at her nightgown. From over a frozen Neji's shoulder, Tenten peered curiously at Hinata.

"Is it about Naruto?"

Hinata nodded timidly. A vein suddenly began to twitch on Neji's forehead. Tenten noted this smacked him one before continuing. She was afraid he would scare Hinata again.

"Don't worry Hinata-chan, I'm sure the brat is fine, he's got way too much chakra to get injured…it's kinda unfair…isn't it, Neji?" She smirked from beside his ear.

Neji was still sorting out why Tenten had slapped him so hard. But more importantly, why the hell was she hanging off his neck? He could feel her soft, warm body pressed against his back. Another reason he was going into a state of shock… _Ohmigod I don't think she's wearing a bra! …well, I guess it's not that much of a surprise…she doesn't spend as much time on her dress as the other girls…_

"Hn…"

Hinata began prodding her index fingers together again. "I guess you're right Tenten-san…Um…good-night?" She nodded to both Tenten and Neji. Neji grunted, while Tenten waved merrily with one of her trademark smiles, and then out of the blue, slumped over Neji's shoulder and began snoring.

Hinata facefaulted. Neji would have facefaulted, but he was afraid he would wake Tenten, who was still slung over his back. He did not wish invoking the jounin's wrath at midnight.

Hinata blushed and waved a goodnight to Neji, who smiled at her and nodded, as he slowly, cautiously, untangled himself from Tenten's arms (and legs). Sitting down, he tired to lay her down, be she ended up slumping over him. A bystander would've thought the two to be hugging. Carefully, he grabbed her buy the waist and tried to sit her down next to him. Unfortunately for Neji, she slumped sideways again, resting in Neji's lap.

He quickly pushed her back up, and she then slumped over to rest on his shoulders. He frowned at her in annoyance. The moonlight illuminated her calm face, giving her an ethereal look of serenity.

Neji turned his attention back to attempting to sleep. He was definitely getting drowsy, with a nice, warm feeling from the reassuring weight of Tenten's head on his shoulder. He felt his attention being diverted back to the girl resting against him. Again, he couldn't tear his gaze away from her face. _She's…beautiful…_

Without thinking, he slowly reached a hand out, and gently touched Tenten's cheek, reveling in the smoothness of her pale skin…

Soon enough he began smacking himself for doing that. But it was just so, so, so…unexplainably. Well it was unexplainable, so he left it at that. He just felt attached to the girl. _But she's just a friend? Right? But one I never want to lose…so that's why I must keep it at friendship…_

He closed his eyes and rested his head on hers. _But…I suppose, for one night…it wouldn't really matter…_

He reached around with an arm and wrapped it around Tenten's shoulder, pulling her close. Tenten smiled in her sleep, and shifted, huddling closer to Neji. He smiled and closed his eyes, but nearly jumped out of his pants when he felt her hug his waist.

But he got used to it soon enough, and five minutes later, the two had fallen backwards, after Neji, the support, had fallen asleep himself.

They were holding each other, as if afraid to let go. Two young adults, caught up in the troubles of life. Little did they know, that soon, their troubles would be doubled.

* * *

Neji woke up the next morning, feeling well-refreshed indeed. But he was so comfortable he didn't want to wake up. So instead, he hugged whatever happened to be lying on his bed at the moment, taking in its warmth. _Ahhhh…such a nice, warm pillow…_

He took in the faint smell of strawberries. He then heard a slight giggle from somewhere near his chest when he hugged the pillow tightly.

"Ah Neji stop that." He frowned, keeping his eyes closed. He was once again stuck in this awkward situation. Why the hell did he always end up falling asleep next to Tenten? Oh yeah, because he always listened to his hormones.

"…Tenten…why are you sleeping next to me again?"

"Ano…wahhh?" A groggy Tenten stirred in Neji's arms.

"Maybe you could tell me why your arms are wrapped around me…eh, Neji-_kun?_"

"…I don't know…and I really don't care right now…too tired to do anything about it…" He nudged her playfully in the side.

"Agh! Neji stop that!" She giggled, which he found rather… _That was…"cute"_ …

So he merely smiled and continued to hold her warm body close to his.

Of course, fate never really allowed him any moments like this for extended periods of time…soooooo…

"…Neji, could you turn off the lights? They're hurting my eyes…"

Neji's eyes snapped open, as he realized that they were not in his room, but rather, still outside on one of the secluded courtyards. Unfortunately, that meant probably at least one Hyuuga had seen them. Neji then noted that he and Tenten were covered by a thick, quilted blanket. After reviewing the memories from the previous night, he surmised that Hinata, the nice little girl she was, had decided to check on them sometime after midnight. He'd have to thank her for that.

Just as he was about to say something, Tenten suddenly nuzzled her face against his chest. Neji instantly froze, startled by Tenten's sudden show of affections. But then he relaxed. _Only for today…

* * *

_

Meanwhile, Hiashi sat in his room. He decided against going to the Dining Hall, as he felt he wanted to be alone, so just as he was about to take a sip of his home-made miso soup, a servant rushed into the room and Stood in front of Hiashi, panting heavily.

"S-Sir…(insert panting noises)."

"Yes?" He took a long gulp. Ah, yes, the soup was very good indeed. He was proud of his personal catering skills.

"Neji-san has been found with another girl in one of the courtyards…"

"When you say 'another'…you mean…"

"Not Lady Usaga, but some dark-haired kunoichi who's probably middle-class, as I don't seem to know her."

Hiashi abruptly spat out his mouthful of miso soup and got up, muttering a quick apology to the servant as he rushed out the door.

* * *

"Neji…what in the world do you think you are doing? And what are you doing here? Tenten-san?"

Tenten jumped up and bowed deeply, blushing furiously. "I-I-I I-'m really s-sorry Hiashi-sama sir! I just got kinda tired d-during training last night, and I fell asleep…and um, neji was nice enough to take me back here…."

Hiashi looked at Neji, who swallowed nervously. To the shock of both Tenten and Neji, Hiashi just smirked at Neji.

"What?"

"Nothing…except you're just like your father…" Hiashi then began to walk away, when Neji stopped him.

"What do you mean?"

Hiashi, facing away from him, merely smiled inwardly and said, "Tenten-san, do you mind if I…take Neji away from you for a bit? I wish to discuss something with him."

"Oh! Um of course!" Tenten looked away, again blushing crimson. Hiashi turned and smiled at her, and nodded at Neji for him to follow. With a confused expression, Neji gave one last look to Tenten, and followed Hiashi.

* * *

"Neji…"

"Yes Hiashi-sama?"

"Given the choice…would you choose Usaga Hitomi, or…I don't know her family name yet…Tenten, to be your wife?" Hiashi stood at the foot of a tall window, gazing out at the scenery presented.

Neji frowned. He was afraid of this. The choice; he would have to make this decision, if he ever wanted to ensure the safety of the one most precious to him.

"Hitomi…I would choose Hitomi…"

Hiashi turned, his brows furrowed. He examined Neji with a cold look. "Are you sure?"

"…Yes…" Neji stated it firmly. He would do whatever it takes. Immobile, he sat on the chair, emotionless and unwavering.

Hiashi started at him hard. "It appears my assumptions were incorrect then. Then why are you playing with that poor girl's heart? Can't you see she—"

"Please, Hiashi-sama, you're making it harder for me. I have stated my choice, don't make me regret it…"

Hiashi walked across the room, thinking with his chin resting on his arm.

"Allow me to restate my question…who, of the two, do you truly…love?"

Neji's eyes widened in shock. _He's got me now…_

Neji opened his mouth, but found he couldn't get the words he intended to out.

"I l-love H-Hi…I CAN'T DO IT!" he leapt up, sending his chair falling onto the marble floor with a crash. "I CAN'T SAY IT!" He collapsed to his knees.

"Neji?"

"Hiashi-sama…forgive me. I am too weak…" His face was contorted in anguish, as he stared at the floor, his emotions clashing fiercely in his mind.

"Tenten or Hitomi? This is something I must know…"

"T-Tenten…Hiashi-sama…I love…her…no…she's just a friend…my friend." He shook his head unbelievingly. _She's just a friend…I…I only care for her as any good friends would…yes, that's it._

When Hiashi-sama turned around to examine Neji again, he found him sitting calmly on the chair again, his serene face devoid of emotions, but his lack of the usual aura of confidence gave him a strange sense of despair.

"So…you do not love either of them?"

He shook his head slowly. "No…"

"Neji, even you truly do not love either of them…which I strongly doubt, the Council of Elders has decided to pit you in a series of matches against their sons and grandsons…to fight for Hitomi's hand in marriage…do you choose to accept? Well, actually it's an order…I expect to see you in the center courtyard tomorrow morning. Be prepared for combat." Hiashi's face hardened. "When you defeat your rival suitors, you will marry Hitomi next week."

Neji snapped out of the stupor, and whirled around to look at Hiashi. "Are you serious?"

"I am always serious…if you cannot find another suitable candidate…"

He didn't bother finishing, and strode out of the room, disappointment evident in his posterior. Before he went out, he left with one last comment.

"Neji, do you really think this is how Hizashi married your mother? Do you really think he married not for the sake of love, but for conformity to clan traditions?"

Neji was left alone with his inner demons, as the ornate door oak closed after Hiashi.

* * *

Teddy leapt from branch to branch, chittering happily, while a cheerful Lee strolled through the woods below. One reason he was happy; when Teddy was happy, he was happy. Another reason he was happy; it was a nice, warm, sunny day.

Now the largest reason; he was carrying a quiescent Hitomi on his back, which explained he was walking, not tearing through the forest like a demon. He was so very elated. Her head rested on his strong shoulder, as her long flowing hair was sprawled all over her face. Every now and then, Lee would turn his head and look at her sleeping features.

_She is the most beautiful flower in Konoha…with her deep lavender irises…her silken hair of many colors…wow…she's even more beautiful when she's asleep._

* * *

Naruto swiftly waded through a small river with the rest of his cell. They had just completed a C-ranked mission and were returning to Konoha. Once they reached the other side, they leapt up into the trees. Unbeknownst to anyone save Tsunade, he had been promoted to the rank of Jounin just before the start of the mission.

He was glad to be back home. Or at least in the process of going home. He couldn't wait to taste some more of the delicious mouth-watering ramen at Ichiraku's. And then his thoughts shifted to a certain female Hyuuga.

* * *

She seemed to like him, and he easily admitted to be developing feelings for the girl. He remembered their last conversation, how she seemed so happy just to be near him. And she was…warm…he remembered the touch of her warm skin. She just seemed so helpless; he had to give her a hug, as she was so adorable. He grinned to himself, reminiscing the moment. When he held her, she refused to let go of him; he had became rather fond of the girl, as she was to him. _Haha, I'll bet Jiraiya would be jealous…_

"Neji!" Tenten skipped up to him. "What's wrong?"

She cocked her head, looking at him, "You look depressed…is something the matter? You sick or something."

Neji just stood there, looking at Tenten. She pursed her lips and abruptly placed a slender hand on Neji's forehead. She shifted his headband upwards so she could get a more accurate measure.

She always frowned every time she saw the mark of the curse, as she knew it had been Neji's lifelong source of anguish and hopelessness.

Neji blinked. Sometimes, he was surprised just how _motherly_ Tenten could be. _She's acting like my mother…_

"Hmmm…you don't have a temperature…"

Like the time when he and Lee had decided to train in the rain for a whole day and night, and came down with fevers, collapsing at the training grounds. She had literally dragged the two, soaking wet to her apartment, threw them onto her bed, and proceeded to make soup for all of them.

After dragging each of them to their respective homes, she would, the following days, visit each one and take care of them; she made soup, fed them their medicine, and made them feel better. Well, Neji felt better whenever she came over and sat on his bed, talking with him.

"Neji…drugs are bad for you…"

Neji blinked stupidly. _What was that about drugs? Where the hell did that come from?_

"I have not been taking drugs, Tenten…"

She grinned at him, "I pray not…then what's the matter, was it something Hiashi said?"

He nodded numbly. "Hiashi said the Hyuuga Council ordered me to fight for Hitomi's love again…this time against the Council's sons and grandsons…"

Tenten looked at him full of sympathy. "Awww, you poor thing!" She wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a tight hug. "That's not very nice…but the power of love, as Lee always says, will triumph, so I'm sure you'll win her love. I mean, if you love her, then you'll be unstoppable."

"But Tenten—"

"No but's, Neji, you've got to be a man! Fight for your woman!"

"But she's no—"

"I'm all for you Neji!" She stepped back. "Hitomi's a nice person, she'll be a great wife for you!"

"Ten—"

"Lee and I will be cheering you on!" and with that, she leapt away, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Neji stood there dumbfounded. _I thought she liked me…

* * *

_

Tenten ran through the woods, wanting desperately to be alone, but there was this part of her which wanted to go back and give Neji another hug, but she that to be rather inappropriate. She couldn't believe she had hugged him, just like that, in broad daylight. But she never regretted it. She had, briefly, found some comfort, in Neji's arms. She wanted to hold him, to be near him. Tenten was confused. She didn't know whether she loved him, or just liked him as a friend. _What is this? Is this…love?_

But she was also a good friend. If she felt that he loved someone else, she would support him all the way, no matter how much pain it caused her. _If he wishes to marry Hitomi…_

But she remembered, when he had held her, and comforted her. Or was he just being a good friend? She didn't know, and this things, were just all a mystery to her. She had never done what the other girls did; go on date, flirt, gossip, she had never done any of this. So she was eighteen, and completely lost, with no experience in these matters. She had been sick during the Health and Sex Ed classes. And she didn't have an older sister to ask for advice, nor a mother to explain the meaning of love to her.

Wiping tears out of her eyes, she sped recklessly through the canopy of the forest as a blur. Blinded by tears, she stumbled after striking a stray branch, and she plummeted towards the ground, hundreds of feet below. She made no effort to save herself, only calling in pain every time she struck a branch.

Her slender body twisted and turned as she spiraled downwards. She had simply lost the will to live, due to a broken heart.

* * *

Temari walked through the forests of Konoha. She was bored, and had begged her brother, Kazekage of Sand, for an errand of some sort. So, he had just sent her to Konoha to deliver the message.

She was and always had been amazed by the towering forests of Fire Country. It gave her a sense of sudden freedom, to be walking alone in the lush green woods. Looking up, she couldn't se the tops of the trees, as they were so tall. _I should be almost there…_

She smiled to herself. She'd be able to see Shikamaru again. Temari had a certain kind of interest with the pineapple-head. She'd love another round against him as well.

Whistling to herself, she strolled leisurely through the vegetation. Suddenly, she heard a small movement above her. She looked up, and was immediately struck by a large, soft object.

Her world spinning around madly, she sat up, clutching her head. _A surprise attack?_

She looked at the form slumped over her.

"OHMIGOD! TENTEN!"

* * *

A couple hours later, Tenten regained consciousness. The first thing she saw was the grinning face of Temari. The blonde had a lop-sided grin on her face as she leered at Tenten.

"Long time no see! It's been like what? A year?"

"I guess…"

Tenten had befriended Temari about a year after the war with Sound. She had forgiven Temari for a crushing defeat at her first Chuunin Exam, and the two, sharing many similar qualities, instantly became friends. They had an ongoing rivalry about becoming the strongest kunoichi. Score is currently tied at 10-10 (A/N pardon the pun XD).

"So Tenten…I never thought you as the type to go suicide jumping…you're lucky I happened to be standing on your designated landing area. And I served as your cushion."

Tenten stared sadly at her hands, which she noted, had been heavily bandaged.

"You shouldn't have caught me…"

"I didn't, you fell on top of me. Anyways, you were unconscious, and at the rate you were falling at, you would have been flattened into a bloody pancake. Hey, what's wrong with you? Where's that happy smile of yours?"

Tenten shook her head, puling the blanket draped around her tighter. "Sorry, but I'm just not feeling well…"

"Tenten, what's the matter, girl? You finally found a hot guy, and he rejected you?"

Tenten stayed silent. Temari frowned, scratching her head. "I was joking, you know…so…who was it?"

Temari ran through her mind several ideas of what might've gone wrong. She frowned again. Tenten wasn't the type of girl to go on a date in the first place. But if she did, Temari couldn't think of any reason why any sane man would dump her.

Tenten had, over the five years, grown into a beautiful young woman, and her skills with the blade second to none. She had mastered every known weapon technique in Konoha, even traveling abroad to learn more styles. But it was her personality that set her apart from the other girls.

Unlike the others, Tenten was not one to gossip, stayed faithful to friends, and was always trustworthy and a good keeper of secrets. She had that certain aura of happiness which made anyone near her smile when she smile, and her smile had been known to freeze boys in their spots by just smiling at them.

The more Temari thought about it, the more angry she got at whoever had "dumped" Tenten. "Hmmm…what dumbass would be so idiotic as to dump a one-of-a-kind girl like you? Ah well, doesn't matter, just point and I'll kick his ass when we get back to Konoha…"

Tenten opened her mouth to say something, but found she couldn't speak. Instead, a stifled whimper came out. Temari looked at the girl closely.

"Tenten, what's wrong?"

"I-It's not that I got dumped or anything, I never had an actual boyfriend…it's just…I was…unsure of my feeling for someone, and that person is going to be married soon…and he didn't seem unhappy about it…"

Tears began to flow from her eyes again. She quickly blinked, trying to stem the flow, but they just kept coming. "I-I'm sorry for being like this…I-I'm truly sorry!"

"For what? It's okay to cry once in a while…helps get rid of stress…"

Temari sidled next to Tenten and gave a big hug.

"Come on now, cheer up! As they say, there's plenty more fish in the sea!"

"Thanks Temari…it's just that…this isn't any boy…he's been my closest friend since the Academy…apart from Lee of course, who acts as my brother…"

"Well…at least I know it isn't brow-freak…"

"Temari, stop, don't be mean." Tenten giggled a bit. This caused Temari to grin wider, as she continued to relentlessly verbally abuse an imaginary Lee.

* * *

Lee suddenly felt a shiver go down his spine. _What was that?_

Frowning, he kept his senses alert for any signs of danger in the surroundings. There was only a cool peaceful lake, and trees. In his arms, Hitomi slumbered on, oblivious to everything. Resting on Lee's head was none other Teddy the squirrel.

Sitting with his back against a tree trunk, he looked up at the sun's rays, filtering through the bough of leaves above him. He sighed contently as he held Hitomi's thin frame closer to his. _This is true happiness! I must tell Gai-sensei about this!_

End chp.

Temari: Where is Shika-kun

Neji: hiding somewhere…

Temari: find him with your byakugan for me and ill tell you some secrets about tenten!

Neji: (looks at her) you have my attention…keep going…

Temari: Find my Shika first!

Neji: (grumbling) fine fine…BYAKUGAN! There he is…he's hiding in that log over there…now about the secrets?

Temari: Hmmmm…lemme think…number one…

Neji pulls outa notebook and pencil

Temari: She's a girl!

Neji: I think I noticed that already…

Temari: She hates tomatoes!

Neji: this isn't helping shit…what does she like to do for fun?

Temari: Well, she likes being near you, if that says anything…and…she trains? And…makes weapons?

Neji: --' anything useful?

Temari: (grins wickedly) well, as you're a boy, you might want to know that she wear a size—

Tenten: Hey guys! What's up?

Temari: O hnothing, Neji and I were discussing you…

Neji: …Hn…(frowns, pockets notebook)

Tenten: o.0?

Ok ppl review


	13. Chp 13 Searching for Some Happiness

Luv all your reviews! Makes me happy!

Kaeru Soyokaze: …and I bet Kronk can use the celestial gates as well eh? XD lol temari is coming here and she will be staying…most likely shikatema pairing lol

Moonlightpath: fluff is always good lol as to hitomi's feelings…tch lessee…well, she's become attached to Lee obviously, as he makes her laugh…and no, she doesn't want to be marry, but she feels that she is bound by tradition to marry whomever her father assigns to her…

Japponess: he trying to do what he feels best…unfortunately growing up without a mother or father has left him sort of like tenten who is clueless about what happenes in love…well, he has hiashi, but hiashi didn't start treating him well til after his match with naruto…well another lengthy chapter…enjoy lol…

Icequeen251: neji…yeah…kid's got issues, well he's 18 XD… and well Tenten's already quite powerful with her weapons expertise, but she needs a bloodline of something to match the byakugan or sharingan, etc…she doesn't want to be a good kunoichi, but the best…a bloodline would help a lot

Lil-Donkey: yah we all feel for tenten T-T poor girl, doesn't even have a family …XD neji is confused…he wants to admit that he loves tenten, but feels that if he gets too close to her, he'll lose her just like his father

Asura of love: actually, I haven't really been heading anywhere…lol romance is nice and hiashi…well, he needs to retain his power over the clan and can't afford being overruled by them…

Hikari Aki: tenten has never known her family…hell she didn't even go to health class of sex ed, so she knows nothing XD neji knows something but is too concerned with tenten's wellbeing…T-T lucky u got to go to a anime convention in Tokyo T-T I wish I could

Hibiyuru: im trying to incorporate as many characters into the story as possible lol…but temari will be staying for sure… lol didn't really notice the mistake heh

The essence of popsicles: I'd have to say both…yes both are as complex as hell…and yes if neji keeps this up either hiashi, hinata (she wouldn't smack just tell him off), temari, shikamaru, chouji, shino who will appear soon, and several others will smack him one…politics are very fickle subjects…hiashi cant afford to mess up

Keito-kun: lol temari is like that don't worry more hinanaru will appear soon…lol u don't like sasuke? Ah well…sorry, but he going to have to stay for the time being, but don't worry, not as a major character…yet…yeah

Joekool: they will end up together…somehow…either that or lee will depopulate the local wildlife XD

Harukakanata: neji can fix her heart ! updated as requested lol

…A/N I have one thing to say…I'VE FINALLY STARTED THE FREAKING PLOT IN THIS CHAPTER! YES! SO HAPPY! I MANAGED to GET THE PLOT ROLLING IN THIS ONE….even if it only crawls about two inches…BUT HEY, IT'S WORKING!

Chapter 13 Search for some Happiness

Neji whirled around as a blur, spinning rapidly. The speed of his twirling raise great clouds of dust, blown up by the now-powerful gusts of wind emitted from his technique. Around the glowing sphere of Neji, were dozens of stone pillars, which he had cut himself by his bare hands. Suddenly, the sphere grew brighter, as Neji took the speed to the next level, preparing for his own technique. With a roar, he released all 361 of his chakra holes

"HAKKESHOU: KAITEN OF THE SEVEN DIVINE WINDS!"

Abruptly, Neji soared into the air, hovering about twenty feet above the ground. A literal tornado formed, with the kaiten at its focal point, with the sphere at its base. The stone pillars were lifted into the sky by the storming blasts of air. The nearby trees were beginning to be uprooted by the powerful forces of Neji's attack.

Once all of the two dozen stone pillars were swirling rapidly in orbit around his giant funnel of raging air currents, along with several uprooted trees, he unleashed his final blow; expanding blades of lethal energy began shooting out of the sphere at the center of the twister in great arcs, whipping through the air like scythes.

"Followed by HAKKESHOU: KAITEN-STYLE BLADED MAELSTORM"

A moment later, Neji slowed his spinning, and dissipated the windstorm. When he stopped, he immediately dropped gracefully to the ground, falling on one knee. With loud reverberating thuds, the stone crashed to the ground. A second later, they fell apart into thin, cleanly-cut sheets of rock.

Sweat dripped down his temple, as Neji stood up to survey the damage. He grimaced. _Well…I've almost perfected this technique…but I still take way too long to rack up enough speed to perform it…and it's power is quite difficult to control…I can only use it when I have no allies in the surrounding area…_

He then noted with annoyance that one of the pillars was apparently still in one piece, amazingly. He frowned, as he walked up to it. _I missed?_

He placed a hand on the cold stone slab. At his touch, the pillars crumpled apart. Neji chuckled inwardly to himself as he walked around the pile of rock cubes.

_Cubes? I don't recall using a perfectly vertical chakra blade…anyways, now to the Palm Blade…_

He was training not just to improve, but also to clear his mind of stress. Training helped free him from the problems of daily life. The only thing he missed was…

_Tenten…I wonder what you're doing now?_

What he wouldn't give for the old days, where he, Lee, and especially Tenten. How he wanted to see her smile, spar with her, and catch her when she fell, feeling the warmth of her skin against his.

* * *

Shikamaru was minding his own business (escaping mission duty) as he walked through the bustling streets of Konoha. On the higher levels, he could see even more people going about there own lives. Luscious smells of the food stands were wafting slowly through the air, as the vendors called out their goods. And who happened to be next to Shikamaru? Chouji!

"FOOD!"

"Chouji…calm down…people are staring…"

Chouji merely ignored him and rushed off to the nearest stand, which happened to be selling fried breadsticks. Chouji joyful pulled out a wad of money and paid for a large bag of the sticks.

Shikamaru watched from a distance with a frown. _How troublesome…_

Suddenly, he felt someone run behind him. He whipped around, to see no one within ten feet of him. A familiar giggling then made itself known to Shikamaru somewhere behind him.

He turned around, and saw none other than Temari of the Sand, standing there lazily with a smile on her face.

"Ohayo Shikamaru!"

And Tenten stood beside her, with her ever-so cute smile.

"I see Chouji is on an eating rampage again…I guess I'll go and stop him…"

She grinned at Shikamaru and patting Temari's shoulder, left.

NOOOOO TENTEN DON'T LEAVE MEEE! 

"Well…Shika-kun…it has been a while…why don't we, ah, get reacquainted?"

Shikamaru stood there, a vein on his forehead twitching. Yes, he was definitely screaming on the inside.

Another scream rang through the multiple levels of streets.

"AUGH MY BREADSTICKS! GIVE THEM BACK TENTEN!"

* * *

Tsunade sat at her desk, eyeing the two that stood in front of her apprehensively.

"I'm sorry…but come again?"

Lord Usaga, Kage of the Hidden Rain, merely pulled a scroll from beneath his robes and slammed it on the Hokage's desk.

Cautiously, Tsunade took a hold of the scroll and unrolled it.

"This is a criminal file…"

"Yes…read the name…"

"Another S-ranked…missing nin…called 'Kite'?"

Usaga nodded. "And read on…see what clan he is of…"

"He is of the Kotone…Clan? Never heard of them…" She looked up at him inquiringly, cocking an eyebrow.

"Are you serious? They were the reason behind the Clan Wars two and a half decades ago…"

"Oh…those wars…really pointless from what I heard, as they were not between villages, but between the most prominent clans of each village…"

"Including mine, the Usaga…and the Kotone were on one-side, with their two allies, with the majority of the other clans against them. We, the Usagas, the Hyuugas, Tengus, the Uchihas, Hikaris, Doujis, along with some two dozen other clans from across the continents were engaged in a brutal war that spanned every hidden village and country."

"My family as well. Well, that's what my father had told me, of course…" Stated Temari firmly. Usaga nodded in acknowledgement.

"So, why was it started?"

"Rivalry between clans for the spot of acknowledgement as the most powerful clan…actually, there were four sides, but one was almost annihilated within the first year of the war, and the fourth side didn't really do much after suffering several major defeats."

"So you're blaming it on the Kotone Clan? Even though it was an issue of pride and jealousy?"

"Well, in war, the loser's are always at fault…" His voice was cold, devoid of any emotion that may give way to his thoughts.

Tsunade glared at him. "So we have a S-ranked missing nin because of his heritage. What does this really have to do with the war?"

"After their defeat, the families of Clans Kotone, Helstars, and Ginhoshis were massacred, their properties destroyed or apportioned out to the victorious clans. They are supposed to all be dead. But this man will be out for blood. He left the mark of the Kotone on a scroll found on the desk of the Lightning Kage."

Tsunade stood up angrily. "So you are trying to involve Konoha in a meaningless squabble over clan superiority?"

"Yes…the Uchiha and Hyuuga Clans are of Konha, and I believe the Aburames also participated in the war."

"The Uchihas are all but dead…the Hyuuga probably will not want me or the ANBU, who are very busy and dedicated to the welfare of the people of Konoha, getting involved in their own affairs, as they have a strong sense…independence. My ANBU already have enough in their hands to worry about!"

Meanwhile in one of the many hidden and illegal break rooms of ANBU headquarters…

* * *

"HA! My picture has a better angle!" A shadowy figure pulled out a photo

"No mine does! Look at the light reflect off those beau—" Another shadowy figure pulled out another photo.

"Haha, look at mine! They own all of yours!" A third figure joined them and pulled out to photos out of his ANBU vest.

"Wow, how'd you get pictures of Tenten from the front and from beneath her?"

"I disguised myself as one of the female ANBU and went up there to help her get down!"

"Wow, look at those slender legs, so fine…"

"Yes, she is beautiful…look at those curves!" He whistled.

"Ha, but what kind of self-respecting kunoichi would go out with you?"

"Well, I doubt Tenten would…she, from what I've heard, has never gone on a date, let alone a shopping spree like those other girls…"

"…What does a shopping spree have to do with being sexy?" They looked at the guy in confusion.

"Whatever. And I never said she wasn't sexy. Lemme see that picture again! Hoo boy, wished she had just forgotten to button one more button…look at those—"

Immediately, the three were completely blinded by light as it filled their dark, cramped, secret little hideout. The three ANBU screamed like little girls as they noticed that their little secret had been discovered by…Jiraiya! (A/N only a few people like Tsunade know he's a pervert)

"OHMIGOD! SENNIN-SAMA! W-W-WE WERE EXPERIMENTING WITH STUFF!"

Jiraiya huffed and smoothly snatched the photos out of all the ANBUs' hands. His eyes widened in shock as he realized what the pictures were of.

The three ninjas cowered in fear as Jiraiya examined them closely

"W-WE'RE SORRY S-SIR! W-W-WE PROMISE WE WON'T DO ANYTHING PERVERTED AGAIN!"

The toad-sennin's face then broke into a perverted grin, "Where'd you get these, boys? Kudos to your excellent voyeuring skills. Will you make me doubles? I'll need these for my book…" He grinned to himself as he looked closely at the picture. "My, that Tenten girl sure is hot now…"

The three Anbu looked at each other, stunned. Jiraiya looked back at them.

"So you will make me copies, yes?"

"O-Of course Jiraiya-sama!"

"Good, good! I promise I won't tell this of anyone…as long as you keep supllying me with pictures like these…or…" he leaned mischiveously into their little compartment, "Ones of a more revealing nature…"

Morino Ibuki happened to be standing right behind Jiraiya at that time.

* * *

Now back to the Hokage's room…

The Usaga huffed, looking insulted. "You will change your mind once the attacks reach Konoha." And with that, he swept away, his cloak flowing behind him.

Temari looked at the elder man's back and grimaced. "Tch, tough guy there…even if he is the Kage of Rain," she smirked evilly, "But Gaara is the Kage of Sand and I bet he could kick his sorry ass."

Tsunade allowed herself a laugh, after making sure Lord Usaga was a safe distance away from the room.

"Well Temari, is that all Gaara-san wants me to know?"

"Guess so…actually…he just sent me away because I kept on begging him for a mission…tch…"

"I see…so what do you think about this…Clan thing?"

"Well…the guy sounds interesting…he's supposed to be quite powerful, if the rumors are true…"

"And what are the rumors?" Tsunade spontaneously produced a bottle of sake. She held it out to Temari, who took it with a "thank you" and continued.

"The Kotone Clan…it was pretty much them against the world. Very powerful," she pasued as she took a sip from the bottle of sake, "As I recall, they were nicknamed the 'noble vampires'…god knows why…and they enjoyed fighting as a past time. They were very proud of their skills, which were greatly admired by all. But, their pride eventually became their downfall, I think."

"So what is their bloodline?"

"Don't know…the only ones who know are the dead…no one has faced their bloodline and survived."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tenten, all alone and lonely, walked down the bustling streets of Konoha, where nightlife had already begun to show its face. She ran through her mind the past events of the day, sighing heavily.

_He nodded numbly. "Hiashi said the Hyuuga Council ordered me to fight for Hitomi's love again…this time against the Council's sons and grandsons…"_

Tenten shook her head, tryingclear he mind of these thoughts. _I should be happy for him, after all, I'm his best friend! I have to support all of his decisions…I can't be selfish, he has his own life…yeah that's it!_

She smiled to herself, vowing to be happy for the Hyuuga. _I guess I'll try to relieve some of the pain though…haven't really gone there in a while…might as well take a spin…_

Stopping at a nightclub, she waved to the men in front, and they smiled at her in recognition. There was a long line of people waiting to get in. Tenten frowned. She definitely didn't have a reservation or invitation this time. But then the tall, blonde man checking for invitations and reservations at the door saw her and waved her over to him.

"Haven't seen you in a while, Ten-chan!"

"Missions, Kenji-san…and more missions…kinda feeling down, so I was hoping to forget my trouble in there…"

The bouncer grinned at her. "Heh, you know, I heard a rumor about you and that Hyuuga boy getting engaged…is that true?"

Tennte was taken aback, blushing furiously, she asked, "Where did you hear that?"

"From some people at the bar, heh…"

"No, actually Neji is getting married to someone else…"

"Oh, I see…you poor girl…" He clicked his tongue sympathetically. "Well, you ninjas need to learn to take life easy…you seem to get into all these kinds of trouble theses days. A cute girl like you should learn to have fun. You're only eighteen once. I am already getting old." He took out a piece of paper and scribbled something onto it.

"You'renot old! You're only twenty-six! What's that?"

"A pass," he smiled, "On the house, have some fun, relax and forget about yor troubles for once. Everybody's missing you in there, wanting to see those insane dance moves of yours…muyst be with all that ninja training you get…"

Tenten smiled happily as she accepted the slip from the man. "For real?"

"Oh yeah," he winked at her slyly, "Actually you really don't need the pass, 'cuz you're already VIP to all of us here…"

Tenten giggled as she hugged him in thanks and ran in.

Standing there stunned, Kenji was brought back to reality by the coughing of a waiting customer. He had this half-dazed smile for the rest of the night as he went back to checking his list for names.

Tsnade sat at her desk, sipping sake from a small saucer. _Mmm…this "Kite"…how do they even know he exists? Could be a hoax, as they don't even have a picture…all they have is a scroll with that clan symbol on it…

* * *

_

Jiraiya walked in, humming happily.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing really…"

He sat down on a nearby plush chair and took out what appeared to be photos. Tsunade suddenly had a horrible thought go through her mind.

"Jiraiya…you had better not be selling pictures of girls…" She snarled as she cracked her knuckles threateningly.

"Why of course not! I actually got these from some ANBU's…you know, some info on our own shinobi?"

"Let me see them…"

"No, you'd probably not like them…"

"GIVE IT HERE, NOW!"

Jhad jumped a foot in the air when she screamed at him. Meekly, he got up and shuffled to Tsuande's desk, and aftertossing the pictures on her desk, fled the room.

Tsunade glared after him, picking up the photos. Her jaw dropped when she saw who the object of attention was in the pictures. Immediately she jumped over her desks and streaked after Jiraiya, screaming, "YOU FSKING PERVERT I'M GONNA FSKING CASTRATE YOU! IT'S ENOUGH YOU WRITE THOSE DAMN BOOKS BUT NOW YOU'VE CROSSED THE LINE! TAKING PICTURES OF ONE OF MY KUNOICHIS!"

The two ANBU on guard smirked behind their masks as they watched Jiraiya jump out the neaerby window, with Tsunade shortly following suit.

"Yes…now we can relax…"

With two loud thumps the two ANBU collapsed to the ground asleep.

* * *

Hinata stood in a clearing, taking her Gentle Fist Stance. Several feet away was Neji, who was standing normally with his hands behind his back.

"Okay Hinata, rush me…"

With a cry, she sprang at him, and was abruptly flipped onto her back. Neji smiled gently at her as he picked her off the ground.

"Tsk tsk…you need to be more fluid, and put some more speed…speed in of the essence in all battle. Take Tenten for example. She keeps up with me, because of her demonic speed. The same thing with Lee, save that Lee has demonic strength as well…"

Hinata nodded and quickly backtreaded to her last position.

"Try again…"

Hinata this time put all her speed into one concentrated rush. Barreling at Neji at full speed. She spun at the last moment, whipping her hands arounf to slap Neji on the side of his head, but he merely raised a hand and cuahgt hers. Hinata quickly fired her other palm at his mid-drift, which Neji took directly. With another spin motion, Neji again flipped her around, and Hinata found herself lying in the dust again.

Neji quickly spun and coughed, and Hinata saw some blood fall out of his mouth. Neji then turned back to Hinata and picked her off the ground, still coughing.

"Neji-niisan! …A-Are you all right? I'm really sorry…I-I didn't mean to hit so hard…"

"Don't be sorry Hinata-sama, that is the point of training. I wanted to feel how much you could put into one blow. Your strength has increased by a rather large amount…I take it you've been training by yourself?"

She nodded, and he laughed, to her amazement.

"It seems everyone is doing that these days. In a recent spar, I nearly lost to Tenten after she went all out. As it turned out, she's been training secretly without me for the past five years. And she was still able to rtain with me five hours a day, not counting missions…" He smiled wistfully.

"Tenten-san means a lot to you? Right? I mean…s-she seems to have a certain effect on you, like when you're talking about her, you're showing more emotion…than I've ever seen."

"I guess…"

"But why are you marrying Hitomi-san?"

"Because this is better for Tenten…I don't deserve her…and I am afraid, that if I get too close to her, I will lose her, like my father…" He turned away.

"N-Neji-niisan, I'm really sorry about—"

"No need to apologize," he turned to face her again, "What's done is done…the least I can do is live up to his reputation…and continue his bloodline somehow. I am of the Side Branch. If Tenten and I were to have a child, it would receive the curse mark…I can't let Tenten bear that pain…like my father did. Anyways, I just don't feel, that I deserve her. She's a good person, and deserves better than what I can offer."

"Neji-niisan…" She looked sadly at Neji, "But Tenten doesn't feel that way…"

"Hinata-sama, enough of this foolish talk! I can't afford to get close to her because a relationship could mean the death of her!" He had snapped at her viciously viciously, his mood instantly shifting back to his cold self. "Let us continue your training…"

Hinata nodded shyly, and took up the stance, when…she nearly fell to the ground when someone jumped on her back.

"Oi! Hinata-chan! I'm back!" Naruto jumped off and wrapped his hands around her waist, drawing a glare from Neji.

"N-Naruto-kun! You surprised me! Um…so how was the mission?"

"Not bad, we just did some surveillance. You know, I kept on thinking of you, like when we fell asleep together…"

He smiled sheepishly, scratching his head.

"You…did…WHAT with Hinata-sama?"

"Er…" he then noticed Neji, who was shaking with anger, "Oh shit…"

The last thing Naruto saw before blacking out was a pair of open hands flying at him.

* * *

Tenten was having the time of her life at the lively dance club. The atmosphere was upbeat, with dance music blaring through the air and the flickering of multi-colored lights shining all over the darkened room, as people drank, danced, and chatted the night away.

On the dance floor, Tenten was making her presence known as all eyes started to notice her. Her style was unique, graceful, and absolutely alluring. Getting lost in the rhythm, she spun, whirled, and shook, as she danced uder the rainbow lights, their luminescent rays reflecting over her pale skin.

The dance floor began to clear, as an unofficial dance competition began to take place, the most vibrant ones staying in the ring, while the others walked out to watch on the sides.

Soon, Tenten was one of the last ones remaining. Immediately, she launched into a series of gravity defying leaps and flips, cartwheeling across the floor. People began to clap loudly, chanting her name, as she continued her spectacular shows of grace and finesse.

* * *

Lee stood outside the club with Hitomi.

"Looks fun, don't you think, Lee-san?"

"Definittely! Dancing is great fun!"

"Let's go then!"

They walked up to the man at the front.

"Hello, how much is it to go in? I'm Rock Lee, and I wish to take my friend here out for the night!"

The man looked at him curiously, examining him and looking him up and down, "Rock Lee you say? Hmmm, bowl-cut…Jounin vest…Ah, you must be one of Tenten-chan's teammates! She's told me so much about you! She's in there right now. She'll be glad to see you two! Go on right in!"

Lee grinned victoriously and dragged Hitomi into the club without a second thought.

After going down a flight of stair, they arrived at a massive, cavernous, room, which appeared to be the size of a gymnasium, as the ceiling was far up, it's surface covered with multiple lights which shined their colored rays throughout the club. Lee was grinning madly. Hitomi took a look around, and then focused her attention on the dance floor.

"Is that, Tenten-san?"

Lee looked to where she was pointing and gasped. He was gawking at the site; Tentne was dancing away madly, much to the enjoyment of her audience.

"Wow, I never knew she could dance like that…"

* * *

Shikamaru hid behind a trashcan watching his target carefully. He must not blow his cover, or else pay the sever consequences. Using all of his stealth skills, he slowly moved onto the street, keeping his head down amidst the crowd of people. His target must not notice him.

Sweat dripped down his forehead as he crawled forward, his target in site. He need to watch the target carefully, memorizing its movements and watching him for any suspicious notions.

He frowned. The target just kept walking, and walking. Suddenly, it turned around, and Shikamaru quickly jumped behind an elderly couple, who stared at him strangely.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the target continued walking. As he continued follow, he felt the odd feeling of being watched. He whirled around. No one. Chuckling to himself for being paranoid, he turned back to his target.

He found himself face to face to it. He immediately screamed like a girl, but was about to run off, when he was glomped in the middle of the street by his target, who was cooing with joy.

"Shika-kun! So you were stalking me! Wanna go out some place?"

Shikamaru looked into Temari's smiling face. _…Annoying…troublesome, yes…but cute in the least respect…_

"Fine, but this is so troublesome…"

Temari laughed with as she dragged Shikamaru through the streets with glee.

End chp 13

Temari: Helloooo shika-kun!

Shika-kun: stop that…and BL…my name is shikamaru, not "shika-kun"

BL: (evil grin) well that's too bad for you…temari seems to like it….

Shika-kun: ur an evil man BL…pure evil…

BL: that's nice…SHIKA-KUN! (ROFLHO)

Neji and Tenten appear

Tenten: Why is shikamaru labeled "shika-kun"?

BL: cuz I was paid…and I like watching grown men cry

Neji: …

Jiraiya: yo, neji, here, the hokage wants you to look at these pictures… (evil grin)

Neji: Hn… (Takes photos and looks at them) WHAT THE F— ?(gets massive nose bleed and keels over from blood loss)

Jiraiya: (laughs evilly) hokage iwhse to know which male shinobi can stand against these pictures…here, u see for yourself shika-kun

Shika-kun: for the last time I am no SHIKA-KUN! Gimme those (takes photos) how troublesome… (looks at pictures and gets massive nosebleed and blacks out)

Tenten: Can I see them?

Jiraiya: no sorry, male nins only…Oi NARUTO!

Naruto: what ero-sensei?

Jiraiya: (shove photos in naruto's face) Lookie here!

Naruto: Whoa, sexy…where'd you get these? (glances briefly at Tenten)

Kakashi appears

Kakashi: I heard you had some interesting photos Jiraiya, for the strong of mind…(mischievous grin) let me see them

Jiraiya: of course, kakashi

Kakashi: (takes photos and looks at them) Wow…(looks at Tenten, who is getting freaked out now) she really does have curves…I never noticed them until now…wow, look at those beautiful legs…

Neji suddenly jumps up, blood still streaming from his nose.

Neji: I SHALL SAVE TENTEN'S REPUTATION AND DIGNITY FROM YOU PERVERTS! (head still a little messed up from blood loss)

Jiraiya: Now now neji, don't be hasty…u'll be seeing this image in your life soon enough…probably on wedding day…

Neji: (emits bestial roar and charges) AHHHHHHHH DIEEEEEEEE!

Kakashi: (looks at jiraiya) you just had to get in that last remark, didn't you?

(censored for extreme Hyuuga-style violence)

Tenten: whoa…was that your new technique?

Neji: (looks at her) yes… (picks up the photos carefully without looking and summons a fire to burn them)

Tenten: what did they show?

Temari: probably a buncha girls, like the perverts they are…

Tenten: Neji, can u tell me?

Neji: no…

Tenten: (uses kawaii chibi-face attack) why not?

Neji: (sighs) Will a hug make up for it?

Tenten: …T-T…I guess so…

Neji: ok… (goes over and wraps tenten in a big hug)

Temari: Awww that is so cuuute!

Shika-kun: (awakens)…why is neji making out with tenten in public?

Temari: you're awake! (glomps shika-kun)

BL: hehe…hehe… I still have doubles of the photos…oh shit…I WAS KIDDING!

Neji: BYAKUGAN!

Ok ppl review now make my day


	14. Chp 14 All Night Long

Hyugatenten: yes indeed they're acting kinda like jiraiya lol…and uh…tenten and hitomi would get drunk and lee would start dancing XD

Moonlightpath: lol neji is very, um, protective of tenten…extremely protective XD and its nice to know that u understand how lee and hitomi will fit together…

Japponess: he killed me and im posting this from heaven XD tente is DDRing and neji has alrdy knocked out naruto

Lil-Donkey: escape from neji? That's impossible…and how do I update so fast? And those poor anbu guarding the hokage tower…hn they're so popular I think im gonna name them bob and beevis lol

Hibiyuru: plot? What plot? XD I haven't even started…last chapter went about an inch into the plot…and of course tenten can dance! She's tenten!

Sarafu-chan: wow, a lot of ppl have been wondering how I update so fast? Uh why wouldn't I? …the ANBU (not to be confused with the poor hard-working ANBU guarding the hokage) were forced to give them to jiraiya lol…awww, that stinks, ur grandma wont give u allowance if u don't like do chores or something?

HikAri Aki: hmmmm…time to explain the tsunade/usaga/temari chat…**PPL READ THIS IF U DON'T UDERSTAND WHATEVER CONTRIBUTED TO THE PLOT LAST CHAPPIE**! Ok…erhem…uh…(blank mind)…wait for it…(still blank mind)…oh yeah, it reveals info about the clan war, which happened about two decades before the time of the story and 15 yrs before kyuubi was sealed into naruto…the clans were divided into several warring factions, note that this war was not between villages and countries but between the most prominent clans…supposedly a member of the thought to be wiped out Kotone Clan has survived…at least that's what it appears like, a scroll with the kotone clan symbol was left inside the Mizukage's tower…but they have yet to see the "survivor"…for all they know, it is just a hoax, which is what tsunade thinks it is…temari was there to deliver a message, well, several, including one having to do with the kotone thingy…if there is a survivor, which usaga believes there to be, they're ranking him/her as a S-ranked missing nin (note: they don't know for sure whether it's a boy or girl…)…and the kotone was one of the strongest clans, and did not formally belong to any village…hope that cleared everything up

Harukakanata: thx hmm is tenten part of the kotone clan? Maybe? Or maybe she's the person the survivor of the kotone clan is trying to kill…or maybe she is the survivor and has a split personality without her being aware of it!…XD who knows…well I do, but hey…that's life! Read on to find out

Kaeru Soyokaze: tenten becomes a diva! Jkjk that would be too girly for her XD jiraiya is hilarious, which is why I like him

Kodoku: lol yes I finally got the plot rolling after THIRTEEN STUPID CHAPTERS! XD shika-kun does not enjoy being called shika-kun lol

Asura of Love: actually tenten is going to dance all night, and neji is going to the club lol…I do my best to please my readers

Snow wind: really? What was the beautiful part lol?

The essence of popsicles: not really a new development lol…that is actually the main plot of the story…I just needed to work on it, so I procrastinated by writing random shit that u ppl call the first twelve chappies…lol with the entrance of kite (hmmm is it a she of a he?)…and temari isn't the type to glomp people, apart from shikamaru that is XD…as for neji and tenten…it depends on the person in love lol…based on past experiences…

Senjou: (scream) NOOOO NOT ANOTHER LITTLE BROTHER! XD my little brother is alrdy enough…I updated so don't sic him on me!

I got the plot rolling last chappie! It rolls about two millimeters in this one…and neji kicks main branch ass and then nearly loses his brain cells in this chappie

…oh yeah…**bold words** means either kyuubi is talking to naruto via thought…or mandra is talking to anko via thought

…I would've updated earlier, but I found I didn't have time, so to make it up, this chappie is long…real long…(no not that long XD)

Chapter 14 All Night Long

Neji walked briskly down the dust road back to Konoha. Hinata followed a step beside him hurriedly, occasionally sending a worried glance to Neji.

"N-Neji-niisan…w-why d-did you d-do that?"

"Because he needs to learn to keeps his dirty hands off you…the fool, what did he do to you? Anything?"

"N-No Neji-niisan Naruto-kun wouldn't hurt me!" she was almost on the verge of crying. Frowning, he noticed this and looked at her.

"Hinata, you know I'm only doing this because I wish to keep you safe…"

"Y-Yes b-but…I-I…Naruto…"

She glanced quickly at Naruto badly beaten and bruised body, which Neji was dragging along the road.

"Y-You didn't need to do this to him!"

"He slept with you…" He looked at her, "He didn't try anything, did he?"

"N-No!"

"Good, then I won't have to kill him. So tell me, what are your feelings for him?"

"I-I feel the same way about him as you do Tenten-san! P-Please don't be so angry with Naruto!" She was practically begging him now, and there definitely were tears in her eyes.

He sighed and immediately picked a dusty Naruto up and slung him over his shoulder. "Hinata-sama, you're a grown girl now, 17, you need to leanr to be strong…stick up for yourself. If Naruto is really that much to you, thewn stick up for him. By that I mean you should have stopped me form beating him down."

"B-But you're too strong!"

"You really think I would hurt you? If you had intervened, I would have desisted immediately…" He glanced up at the starry night sky. "Beautiful night out…"

Hinata looked up, "Yes, yes it is…um, Neji-niisan?"

"Hn?"

"I just w-wanted you to know that I-I l-love Naruto-kun…can you accept that?" She started playing around with her fingers, which Neji noted. He looked straight ahead, thinking hard. Then he looked back at Hinata and said, "If you really love him, then fine, I will support you all the way…but if he does a single thing to hurt you, I will personally sterilize him…" He smirked.

To his surprise, Hinata let out a cry of happiness and immediately threw her arms around Neji's waist, hugging him tightly.

"Arigato Neji-niisan! Love you!"

Neji smiled and patted her head. "Let's hurry up back. I'm rather tired…" He yawned as Hinata released her death grip on him.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, a pissed off-looking Neji walked through the gates of Konoha, being laughed at by some of the shinobi stationed there. He was holding a dirty Naruto under onearm while giving a piggy-back ride to a sleeping Hinata._Damn you Hinata! Why'd you fall asleep too? I'd think that by 17 you'd be just a little more grown up…tch_

* * *

Tenten sat at her table, sipping a personally made pina colada from the bartender, who was also a friend of hers. As people went by, they'd say hi to her, and compliment her on her dancing talents. Tenten smiled. She was feeling good right now…until she remembered what she was trying to forget…_He doesn't love me…_

Her mood plummeted back to hell again. At that moment, a certain bowel-haired boy popped in front of her.

"LEE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"Having fun with Hitomi-chan!" Hitomi arrived with a margarita in her hands.

"18 is the drinking age right?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure Tsunade–sama wouldn't mind. Lee, want me to get you a drink?"

"Of ourse not! It is the men who are supposed get the drinks!"

Tenten grinned drunkenly, swaying slightly in her seat. "Well, I guess I look like a man enough…" She got up, staggering a bit. Lee quickly put out his hands to support her, but she shrugged them off.

"Lee, I don't need any help now, I'm a grown girl now…"

"Tenten-chan, you're drunk!"

Hitomi came along, sipping at her margarita through a straw. She stopped in front of Tenten.

"Are you sure dear? You don't seem to well…I have some detoxification pills…"

Tenten smiled dizzily, "Nah, I'm good. I'm here to let loose and forget about my troubles. Wanna join?"

Lee and Hitomi looked at each other, grinning madly.

* * *

Two hours later…

"Number 29 and still feeling fine!" Tenten laughed, hiccupping slightly. She sat slouching on one side of the tble, while Hitomi sat on the other side, almost nodding off. She giggled at Tenten, who promptly ordered another pina colada and downed it.

They were amusing themselves by watching a drunk Lee dance like a madman. People were gathering arounf the dance floor to cheer him on, as he leapt around with a silly smile on his face.

Tenten then realized something. Shaking her head to try and free herself from the sleep-inducing effects of the alcohol, she asked "Wait a minute…why were you with Lee? Are you not getting married to Neji-san?"

"Unfortunately yes…"

Abruptly, Tenten stood up, slamming her drink on the table and spilling some of its foamy contents onto the surface of the table. Hitomi looked at her alarm. Tenten glared furiously at her, though her eyes were slightly out of focus.

"How dare you…Neji is a good person, and a good friend. And yet you don't think anything of him? He is going to marry you, yet you say he is not worthy of you?"

"Tenten-chan, calm down, I believe you're a bit drunk now. I never said he wasn't worthy, I just fe—"

"He may be cold, but he is honorable! And he does his best to fulfill his obligations! He has agreed to marry you! And you have the sense to ridicule him? Do you know how lucky you are? To marry him?"

"Tenten-san, please, calm down, I hold only the outmost respect for Neji-san, but I have only met him…please, don't be angry with me. I know you love him, but—"

Tenten whipped her hand up with blinding speed and made to slap her, but she stopped right beside Hitomi's cheek.

"Stop there…don't…"

"Tenten-san, I klnow that you love him…but you should te—"

"Shut up…just…shut up…" Tenten's hand clutched at her chest, as though she had trouble breathing.

"Tenten! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, excuse my manners." Out of the blue she punched herself in the face, drawing a gasp from Hitomi. When she removed her hand, she had a bloody nose, but she was smiling again, with her eyes focused now. But then her expression changed to guilt.

"Hitomi-san…about that, sorry, I was…like you said, a bit drunk…" she clasped a hand to her cheek, "I-I can't believe I acted like that!"

"It's all right, I know how you feel. Hopeless…I feel that way too…no way to control my destiny…it's like I'm trapped" She smiled wistfully, as she handed Tenten a napkin for her nose. Tenten accepted it with a nod and sat down.

"Forgive my being blunt, but do you love him?"

Tenten looked down at her lap thoughtfully. "No," she answered, "He's just a close friend. I was angry with you because wanted to make sure he had found a suitable wife who would make him happy. We're just partners, that's all…"

Hitomi looked at Tenten. She suspected that she was lying, but she couldn't be sure, because thought she thought she sensed a twinge of sadness in her voice, Tenten had the next moment put on a mask of cheeriness.

"Haha! Look at Lee! God, he's like the brother I never had. I just love him! Hey! He's waving at us!"

Hitomi giggled when she turned to look at Lee who was doing a one-hand handplant and was waving at the two, who were sitting on one of the higher levels

_Tenten-san…you should be more open about your true feeling…because if you don't do it soon, it may be too late…

* * *

_

Naruto woke up in the middle of the night, with a major headache.

**Kid, you just got your ass kicked by the Hyuuga glacier…**

_Shut up baka-kitsune!_

He rubbed his head, groaning. _Why the hell did he do that?_

Bad choice of words, kit…you said you "slept", quote on quote, with his sister…that hot chick…Hinata, was it? Pervert…her name is Hinata, and she is not his sister! She's his cousin! 

**Whatever you say kit, I still say she's sexy, but just a little on the timid side, wouldn't you say? Of course, I personally feel that makes her all the more adorable…hehe…just makes you wanna go and hug her and squeeze her and cuddle her and fon—**

"SHUT THE HELL UP YOU FREAKING PEDOPHILIC OLD FOX! DON"T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HINATA-SAN LIKE THAT!"

**So already protective about her, eh? I'd have to agree, she is definitely a keeper!**

"FSK YOU YA DAMN FOX! GET OUT OF MY MIND!"

* * *

Hinata was walking down the hallway of the Main Branch Complex, intending on seeing whether Naruto was awake or not and could train with her…er…along with some personal bonding time for her to get enough courage to properly ask him out…in the middle of the night…

_Wait…but aren't the boys supposed to do that? B-But what is Naruto-kun doesn't like me? What if he still likes Sakura?_

The more Hinata thought about it the more worried she got. Halfway she was already biting her nails in anxiety. One of her cousins, Hina, also on the Main Branch, happened to be taking a midnight.

"Hinata-chan, is something the matter? You shouldn't be up so late, and you like you saw a ghost!"

"I-I'm fine! Really! Just thinking…"

"Oh…okay…oh yeah. By the way, in case you didn't no, there will be dueling tomorrow. Between our favorite cousin, Neji, and some idiots in our Main House. Poor Neji-kun, he's being forced to fight to win that Hitomi girl's love…" Hina's face took on a dream-like state as she walked off into the darkness with a wispy "good-night".

Hinata continued walking, and before she knew it, she was in front of the guest room Naruto was staying in. She suddenly heard shouting and screaming from inside and gasped. She pressed her ears to the door. Her eyes widened in shock as she listened. Suddnely she found herself dropping down into the darkest pits of hell.

"HINATA-SAN….! …FSK YOU…!" was all she heard.

She immediately fell to her knees in disbelief. _Naruto-kun h-hates me? B-But why?_

She could feel the tears coming. _Why does he hate me?_

Hinata was in tears now, sobbing into her hands.

* * *

Naruto meanwhile was still screaming and totally oblivious to the fact that Hinata was outside his door sobbing feeling very neglected indeed.

**Kit you baka! Your girlfriend is outside the door right now and by the sound of it she's CRYING! GO COMFORT HER!**

SHE'S NOT MY FSKING GIRLFRIEND! 

**Hmmm really now? Let's see…she's girl, at least I think she is…she your friend right? …yes and_ girl_ plus _friend_ equals _girlfriend_ if I am not mistaken in compounding words…hehe…**

Naruto didn't have the wit to respond, and if Hinata really was outside his door crying, he'd want to go and give her a hug.

_You win this time, ero-kitsune…_

**I know child, I always win…**

* * *

Still crying her eyes out, she slowly stod up and made to leave. As she was walking she heard someone say softly, "Hinata-chan, why are you crying outside my room? And why at such a late time?" (A/N yes Naruto is developing bursts of maturity…he's 17 for god's sake)

Hinata didn't turn, afraid to let him see her tears, but even more afraid to look him in the eye. "N-Naruto-kun, I heard what you said…" she paused, sniffing, "I know…you hate me. But I won't hold it against you. It's probably my f-fault for being too w-weak."

She felt a lump rise in her throat. It was becoming too painful for her to continue.

"Hinata-chan, turn around and look at me…please. I don't hate you," he walked slowly over to her and gripped her shoulders gently and spun her around, "Come on now, don't be afraid. Look me in the eye. Do I look like I hate you?"

Hinata, looked up, tears still silently coursing down her cheeks. Smiling, Naruto carefully brushed several long and silk-like rouge strands of hair out of her pale-pearl colored eyes and gently wiped her tears away (A/N Hinata has shoulder length hair now…but she's still wearing a goddamn jacket…).

"B-But y-you said—"

"You must have misheard me. I did say your name, but I was cursing myself for not being there for you all the time…"

**Nice thinking Kit…**

_Go to hell kitsune!_

"R-Really?"

He flashed a foxy grin, saying, "Do these eyes lie?"

Hinata looked up into his blue eyes, and then she smiled happily, and immediately buried her face into his pajamas, sobbing. Naruto smiled to himself, hugged her back, wrapping his strong arms firmly around her waist.

"Er…Hinata-chan? Why are you still crying?"

**She's crying because your sexiness is too strong for her to stand!**

_SHUT THE HELL UP!_

**I was joking, she's crying because she's happy that you've finally accepted her…**

**Why doesn't anyone teach me these things?**

_Dunno, ask that Jiraiya guy…_

Naruto thought about, and decided that he'd prefer to learn these things through experience. He grinned to himself, as he smelled her hair. _She smells nice, like flowers!_

Is that all you can say about her? What about her curves, her— WHAT THE FSK ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL? 

Hinata happily snuggled against him, as they stood silently together in the empty hallways of the mansion. _Naruto-kun…I…love you…_

* * *

Neji stood alone in the courtyard, under the roof of a small hexagonal sitting house beside a quiet pool. He sighed and sat down on the bench, which circulated along the walls, interjected by two entrances. Through the rectangular holes in the wall, the rays of the bright moon came through, splashing Neji with splotches of white illuminating light. But he kept his face in the shadows, brooding over many questions; what would happen tomorrow, what would happed between Hinata and Naruto, where was Tenten, and did he hurt her feelings? Did _he_ have feelings for her? And more specifically, what size bra was she wearing?

He realized what he had just asked himself and proceeded to go and dunk his head into the pool. _Curse you stupid hormones…stop taking control of my mind!_

After effectively waking his head and driving all nasty thoughts from his mind, he returned to his seat.

He pondered this, resting his chin on his palm, gazing out at the sparkling pool, whose clear waters shone in the moonlight. _Beautiful…just like…her…_

He allowed himself that thought, smirking. He pictured her in his mind; her silken shirt, which now sported sleeves…her personal set of weapons…her adorable, cheerful smile, which put a smile on everyone else's face…and her legs, so long…

_NOOOOOOO DAMN HORMONES!_

Okay, continuing with list…her silky brown-black hair tied up in buns, which he would love to pull…her deep, amber eyes, which he'd often get lost in without realizing it until he either got kicked or punched by Lee…and…

"Okay screw that…"

He then found that he was starting to already miss her smile. And her warmth, in both mental and physical sense. He heaved antoher impressive sigh. He missed the olden days, where he would train with her from sunrise to sunset. _I should have paid more attention to you Tenten…_

He laid down on the bench. Closing his eyes, he brooded over the current issues some more. _It's probably about one in the morning now…but I can't sleep…_

He remembered how Tenten had pretended that she was fine with the whole marrigage fiasco, but he could quite easily tell from her gestures with the help of the Byakugan that she was practically on the verge of brweaking down mentally and weeping. _Did I hurt her? I really have no experience with girls…Tenten'sd not you r average girl, but she's still a girl…_

What was Tenten to him again? _A friend and a teammate of course…_

Then he realized something which he hadn't thought of in the eight years he had known her. _What's her family name? And who is her family? What clan is she?_

He smacked himself for not figuring that out eight years ago. There he was, with Tenten as his best friend, and he didn't even know her surname, let alone her mother or father. _We all just call her Tenten, all the same…_

He was feeling really stupid now. _WHAT IS HER NAME?_

He grimaced. In those five years, what the hell had he been doing with her? _Oh yeah…training…_

He sighed once more and turned his head slightly to peer through one of the square-shaped opening, looking through to see the small stars that speckled the blanket of darkness above.

Then he moved onto Hinata and Naruto. Naruto he respected, being one of the few that ever beat the Hyuuga. _With that strange ability to generate such an enormous amount of chakra…_

Though he tended to be on the idiotic side, he was for the most part trustworthy and honorable. _With a good dream as well_. Neji smirked. _He strives to be the next Hokage_

He thought about Hinata and Naruto marrying each other. Strangely enough, the idea was not foreign nor as strange as he had previously though. They fit together perfectly; one shy and insecure, the other loudmouthed and stubborn. Neji also felt that Naruto would take very good care of Hinata, being how he treated those he deemed "precious".

_Hinata is definitely precious to him…but he'd better hurry up…Hinata hasbecome one of the more…attractive bachlorettes of Konoha…as well as…Tenten…_

He smirked. If everything worked out as planned…he could prevent anyone from attempting to date either him or Tenten…

Of course, he couldn't decide Tenten's future for her. He didn't want to restrict her from finding true happiness. He'd wouldn't dare inhibit her potential nor her social life. Not that neither of them really had one, but that was beside the matter; they were both eighteen now.

Suddenly, he heard some rustling, and he quickly rolled on the bench and got underneath it. Slowly, he rolled out and steahily kneeled up and looked out. Two figures were standing on the other side of the pool.

_Byakugan!_

Veins bulged out of his temples as he activated his bloodline. With his all-seeing eyes, he saw that it was Hinata, with Naruto, who had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she seemed rather happy. Neji's eyes narrowed suspiciously. _What're they doing up at this ungodly hour?_

Naruto was whispering things into her ear, as she giggled softly. Neji had rarely seen her this happy. He was wondering whether or not to leave them be, or whether he go over there and put a stop to things before they happened. He did not intend on becoming an uncle so early.

Furtively, he went out of the small outhouse quietly. There were many flower bushes dotting the sides of the expansive pool, so he had plenty of cover to move behind. Slinking around the side of the pool, he arrived behind a bush about ten feet away from Hinata and Naruto.

Neji watched as the two would-be lovers embraced again. _Okay I am getting a little sick of this mushy crap…_

Suddenly, the two looked at each other, their faces moving in for the kill…

_Okay Naruto…now you die…I must prevent Hinata's innocence from being tainted so early on!_

Naruto looked into her eyes, which shone brightly under the moon. Her mother-of-pearl eyes made her all the more attractive. He had just noticed how truly beautiful Hinata was, with her long flowing hair, which she had grown out now. Her rosy lips, were just alluring. He felt himself drawn to her, and she to him. He had only gotten an occasional smile from er before, but now, he knew he couldn't live without her smile. He was curious; she seemed curious about kissing as well. So they silently agreed to test it out. They leaned forward towards each other, and Naruto closed his eyes. They were a couple inches apart. Now they were so close, that he could feel her warm, sweet-smelling breath wash over his face. Their lips were about half an inch apart when Naruto felt someone tap his shoulder. Naruto froze. Hianta didn't notice, and their lips would have touched, if the stranger hadn't ripped the two apart and pinned Naruto to the ground.

"What in the world do you think you're doing to Hinata-sama? Naruto-san?"

Naruto found himself staring into the Byakugan eyes of pissed off-looking Hyuuga Neji. Naruto grinned sheepishly and said nervously, "Uh, we couldn't control ourselves?"

"Wrong answer…" Neji flashed a sadistic grin.

Screams echoed throughout the Estates.

* * *

Five minutes later, Hinata found herself walking beside a disgruntled Neji and an unconscious and hurting Naruto, once again. Nervously, she looked up at Neji, and immediately looked back down at her feet when he looked back at her.

"Hinata-sama…you are not ready for these things yet…I do not suggest rushing through life that fast…"

"What? Y-You mean you've actually had experience with these matters before?"

He turned and smiled at her, "No…but I know enough to have a sense of what's right and what's wrong…"

"O-Okay…Neji-niisan. B-But Naruto, I-it wasn't his fault…"

"He should know better if he is the one destined for you. He is not realizing the consequences of such irrational actions, which he should, if he truly cares about you…do you understand? Hinata-sama? I am not doing this to sadden you…though you are probably angry with me…"

"Neji-niisan," she smiled thoughtfully at him, "How could I be angry at you? Though we are technically cousins, you'll always be my older brother to me…I accept your judgement. But why did you have to keep hurting Naruto-kun?"

Neji suddenly had an unnerving and very unnatural malicious smirk on his face.

"I needed to take out some stress…and as Naruto regenerates quickly, he is the perfect target…"

"N-Neji-niisan! B-But that's so mean! Can you please try not to hurt Naruto-kun? Please, it wasn't his fault!"

Neji smiled and said, "For you, Hinata-sama, anything…"

Hinata smiled happily as she patted a groaning Naruto's head.

* * *

Tenten and Hitomi were still sitting there drinking their respective drinks, while watching a still-deliriously drunk Lee spin about on the dance floor, where people were still cheering him on.

Tenten chugged the current glass of cold drink and immediately called out, "Glass a hundred and ten and feeling better again!"

Hitomi giggled, sipping at hers. "Wow, Tenten-san, do you drink a lot? You seem to have a high BAC tolerance level…"

"Actually this is my first time drinking." She laughed. "Never knew drinking could be so much fun!"

"Really? Um, Tenten-san? Your face is getting red…here is a detoxification pill."

"Really? Now I can drink even more!" She quickly popped the pill into her mouth.

"Here is another Tenten." Tenten giggled strangely and took the pill as well. She then took a drink, and immediately sapt it out.

"What the? The taste was horrible! What happened to my drink?"

"Oh, the pill cuases your body to reject alcohol, so you going ot have to stop drinking. It would be best if you didn't start drinking in the first place…as it may affect your career as a shinobi."

"…Hmmm…guess you're right." She grinned at Hitomi, and then slumped onto the table, fast asleep.

"Oh dear…she's out now…"

"HITOMI-CHAN! WATCH THIS!" Hitomi turned down to the dance floor to watch Lee execute an awe-inspiring 720 degree backflip and handplant. Hitomi laughed and waved to him. Lee grinned at her and motioned for her to come and dance with him. She laughed and stood up, walking down the stairs through the hordes of people, who were all now watching her and applauding and cheering her on.

* * *

Neji walked along the now nearly deserted streets of Konoha. It was 2 in the morning. _I should sleep, but I'm too restless…too much to wonder about…_

He remembered forcing Hinata and a half-conscious Naruto to sing papers stating that they would not mention their relationship to anyone, nor have any PDA's in public. And they were to…er…he had to go and look for a health book to find the proper term.

_Abstinence…whata strange word…_

The last image of the two was Hinata curled up in Naruto's arms. Neji would have stopped this, but he enjoyed watching Hinata be happy, so he let it go. After all, he couldn't control her future or life.

He had passed a lot of clubs, where loud music could still be heard blaring out from inside. He was curious, so he decided to check one of them out. The man at the front of one saw him an dwaved him over. Neji strode over to the man curiously.

"Yes?"

"Are you Hyugua Neji?"

"And what if I am?"

"I suggest you go inside and find out for yourself." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. Neji, being restless and curious decided to take up the challenge, and he smiled as he walked inside.

Inside was a myriad of colors, smells, and sounds. All of his senses were suddenly caught off guard by the huge change in environment.

_What…is this place?_

There was a large wooden dance floor in a depression to his right, with elevated levels of tables surrounding it. A dancer caught his eye; it was Lee, and he was dancing like…Neji hadn't really seen anything like it anyways…

And then he noticed the pretty purple-haired girl beside him. _Hitomi…and Lee…interesting…_

He looked around again and saw his bun-headed kunoichi teammate slumped across a table sleeping. There were strangely several glasses with little cherry stem in them. _I never knew that she drank_. Smirking, he walked over to the table and sat directly opposite of her. Smiling, he observed her in her sleep. He quickly moved to the seat beside her to get a better angle of her face.

She was sleeping peacefully with her head resting on her arms. And her pretty face had several stray strands of her long black hair draping across her face. Neji smiled as he watched her sleep. What he'd like to know was what made him see Tenten so differently from the other girls? There were definitely other beautiful girls out there, but he seemed attracted to Tenten, though he wasn't sure what type of attraction yet. _Why is she so much to me? …That must be the n-th time I've asked myself this stupid stupid question…_

Without thinking, he raised a hand, and slowly brushed the stray strands out of her face and behind her ears. She moved sliughtly at his touching, muttering some nearly inaudible curses. Neji suppressed a laugh. This was amusing.

He continued to play with her hair as she continued a stream of steady swears from her mouth.

He grinned and was about to poke her nose when her hand shot up and grabbed his wrist.

"Neji…do you want me to kill you? I never knew you were this annoying. I was trying to sleep…"

Neji was getting a little intoxicated by the fumes of all the liquor around him. He grinned at her and replied, "You're beautiful!"

Tenten abruptly fell off her chair in shock, blushing crimson.

"W-What?"

Neji, being Neji, realized something was screwing around with him, and it wasn't hormones this time. He slapped himself in front of her and apologized.

Tenten blinked, confused. "Why did you apologize? You mean you don't think I'm beautiful?"

Neji flinched at her hurt voice. "N-No! I-I j-just…was embarrassed for saying that…but you are. Sort of…"

He foced himself to look away from her. He leaned in, questioning him with a grin. "So the cold Hyuuga Neji does have feelings. I thank you for your compliment."

She was about to give him a hug, but resisted the urge, reminding herself that he was to be married to Hitomi.

"So what are you doing here?"

"Nothing." He sat back and crossed his arms, glaring at a group of girl giggling in his direction.

"Neji, it's two in the morning."

"Hn."

"Don't you have to fight tom—I mean—this morning?"

"Hn."

"But…why aren't you sleeping?" She gave him a look of concern. "You really should sleep Neji…"

"Actually I was concerned about you," he still kept his gaze away from her as he spoke, so that no one watching them got any wrong ideas, "You seemed upset…the last time…I was worried…"

"More like you couldn't sleep and decided to try out what a night club would be like, eh?" He turned to look at her. She smiled happily at him. "But I'm happy that you were concerned. I feel so cared for!"

She laughed, while his eye made some involuntary twitches.

"So what do you think of Lee's dancing style?"

She gestured towards Lee who was dancing with Hitomi.

"Amusing…very amusing." He smirked widely.

"Well, anyways, I believ you should ge some sleep for tomorrow…I mean today…" She smiled sadly at him. "If you lose, then you'd be forced to forfeit your love for Hitomi…"

"But you don't want me to, do you?"

She snapped up, alarmed, her eyes widening in fear, "N-No I-I didn't mean anything, I-I n-not trying to split y-you apart—"

He smiled gently at her, "I wasn't accusing you Tenten, heh. Don't assume…that I love her…well, good-night…or should I say, good-morning?"

He stood up, pushing back his chair to leave, but Tenten suddenly clasped his hands.

"Neji, do you love Hitomi? Are you going to fight for her? Or is this just because you're able to fight the main house?"

A pained expression rushed over his face, and he grimaced, replying, "Yes, I will finally be allowed to exact my vengeance on the Main Branch. This is not a matter of love. Anyways, the marriage aside, I wish to remain single as long as possible."

"Oh…okay." Tenten had gotten this answer before, and everytime she heard it, it both pleased her and broke her heart. _What does he really think of me?_

"Neji, please tell me, what am I to you?"

Neji was once again at a loss of words. He stood there for a second, thinking hard, before replying cautiously.

"Tenten-chan? I-I…don't really know…but we are still best of friends, yes?"

She smiled and nodded slowly, though she was crying in her heart. He smiled, relieved that she hadn't become upset and left, but not before giving her a quick hug.

Tenten sat there, hugging her shoulders. _He…hugged me. But that was probably only a sign of friendship…

* * *

_

Tsuande and Temari looked at each other, Temari with a confused expression on her face.

"Gaara-san says that the Cloud are mobilizing their forces?"

Temari nodded.

"Why?"

"Gaara-niisan asked the Cloud Kage, who claimed that your ninjas killed their men."

"Impossible, we haven't sent anyone to Cloud for nearly four years!"

"We are aware of that. Gaara-niisan also advises you to watch Stone. We have a feeling that Cloud may be seeking an alliance with them…"

"We've only been allowed about four years of peace. Why this all of a sudden?"

Temari shrugged, "Don't ask me. But Sand is your ally, in case you are in need of assistance. I suggest also turning the Lightning Daiymo for an alliance. IF there is a war, it would be wise to seek as many allies as possible."

"You know I despise that arrogant asshole…"

"Yes…but, he seems attracted to you," she smirked, "I don't think it would be that hard to get him on your side…" Temari broke off laughing. "I'm soooo sorry, it's just that the daimyo doesn't realize you're fifty and he's only thirty!"

Tsuande glared at her. "That wasn't funny. So what's wrong with me being fifty?"

"Nothing!"

Suddenly Jiraiya appeared in a puff of smoke.

"What the hell do you want! Why aren't you working on your stupid porn novels?"

"Well…uh…I was bored, and I am in need of some more…information…for my books…"

"GET OUT!"

* * *

The two ANBU looked at each other at the sound of Tsunade's scream, and immediately shuffled away from the doors. True enough, a confused-looking Jiraiya blasted through the door like a rocket. The ANBU breathed sighs of relief; they hadn't been hurt yet today.

They quickly shuffled back into place, just as Tsunade sent another projectile after Jiraiya; her large oaken desk. The poor ANBU managed a pair of screams of terror before the large piece of furniture crashed into them and curshed them, along with Jiraiya, into the opposite wall.

"Ah, oops, sorry about that! Kiso and Shuichi!"

The two ANBU let out two muffled coughs of pain in response, while Jiraiya merely teleported away, engulfing the two in in smoke.

Temari chuckled nervously, turning back to Tsuande, having gawked at the two poor shinobi and the giant hole in the wall for about five minutes there.

Tsuande had been standing there for the past five minutes glaring at Jiraiya, or the spot were he had made contact with the wall.

"U-Um T-Tsunade-sama? I-Is there anything e-else?"

"Oh, Temari, sorry about that. Jiraiya was being a pervert, so I needed to punish him," she gave the Sand girl a friendly smile, which Temari returned half-heartedly, "Was there anything else Gaara needed?"

"O-Ofd course! Can you sign these papers? They give merchants from Wind protectionm in Fire Country…"

"Of course. Just let me find my pen now…it's gotta here somewhere…"

"Ungh…I found a pen Tsunade-sama…"

"Ah, tthank you Shuichi!"

* * *

Anko walked through the darkened streets of Konoha. Occasionally, she would draw some unconcerting stares and whispers her way, but she had gotten used to them by now. It was the result of being the apprentice to Orochimaru, the most hated of the Three Legendary Sennins. Fortunately, no one was up and about

She sighed as she remembered some whispers about her.

"_Psst…it's that snake-girl…I heard she's Orochimaru's daughter…_"

She cocked an eyebrow. _Well there's a new one_, she thought wryly. She continued walking as if she hadn't heard anything, though she oculd sense the stares following the back of her trenchcoat. _Dmmit I risk my life protecting these people and all they can say is "Oooh, look, it's Orochimaru's apprentice!" What the hell is wrong with them?_

She stopped as a familiar green blur whipped past her, blowing leaves about her with a gust of wind. _I see Gai's up rather late…or should I say early?_

She continued walking, staring up at the stars. She smiled, seeing at how breath taking the view was. She inhaled deeply the cold air taking in the cold, fresh air. She then effortlessly focused chakra into her feet, launching her into the dark night.

A moment later, she found herself once again dancing about the rooftops of Konoha. She desired to be strong, and she desired power. Put she had put ahead of power dedication and duty. She would remain loyal to Konoha at the cost of her life, unlike her former sensei, Orochimaru.

_Why did ou betray Konoha? I looked up to you as my father!_

She had sworn, on the day he betrayed her, csat her aside like trash, that she would kill him herself. But first, she needed to get stronger. She was already one of the top ranked special jounin of Konoha, but she still was far from the strongest.

Mandra, her personal snake, which was not a pet, but a partner, slowly uncoiled his self from Anko's pocket and slowly wrapped around her leg, hissing happily.

"Mandra, if you don't watch it I'm gonna accidentally kick you off," she said, laughing.

Mandra replied via thought, **You seem both happy, yet perturbed**

Anko smiled as she bounded off the roof of an apartment.

"Yes…"

**Enjoying these night outings aren't we…?**

The Snake gave her a smirk from somewhere on her thigh. Anko grinned nd reached down to pat Mandra on the head.

…**I'm not a pet, nor a summon, I'm your animal partner…**

"I know, but you're one of my few friends…and you are just like a pet! So kawaii!"

**You really do scare me sometimes…(yawn) I'm hungry…**

"You always are…" she reminded the snake, who made a small gaggin noise.

"Now you sound a cat gagging on a furball."

**You know I hate cats…**

"Ah, Mandra, you hate a lot of things…"

**Like mushrooms, carrots, and tomatoes…**

Anko laughed (she's not really the type to giggle).

**So what are we doing now?**

"Nothing really…just killing some stress…and thinking…"

**About Orochimaru again?**

"Yes…"

Mandra hissed sympathetically as as she felt him curl around her waist like a belt. He poked his head out of her coat. She felt better, with his reassuring weight around her torso.

…**I have an idea…**

"Enlighten us…"

…**You need a boyfriend…I noticed that female humans tend to be more secure and happy if they have a male counterpart…**

"W-WHAT?"

"ANKO-SAN KEEP IT DOWN UP THERE! NORMAL PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!"

…**You want me to eat him?**

"No of course not! SORRY ABOUT THAT!" She called out to the person who had yelled at her.

…**Was I going too fast for you? Male counterpart? You know, a mate?**

"You make it sound easy…"

**Well…considering all the lustful stares directed your way…it shouldn't be much of a problem…**

"Keep talking and I will starve you for a week…"

**Empty threat, you usually don't feed me half the time; I feed myself…**

Mandra hissed mockingly, his tongue whipping in and out of his mouth. Anko grimaced and rapped him on the head, drawing an angry hiss from him. He instantaneously jabbed out and bit her lightly, without straightening his teeth to puncture her skin.

She laughed again and patted his head. Madra hissed in hopeless annoyance and withdrew to the depths of her trenchcoat.

end chp.

wow this hcappie was kinda pointless XD i just felt like killing time and buying time to work on plot...

Neji: Tenten…you look like hell…what did you do to yourself this time?

Tenten: (hiccup) had one wrink too munny…Neji-kun…(swaying like a drunk person, suddenly fall over)

Neji: Tenten! …foolish girl (catches Tenten)

Hitomi: you want another detoxification pill for Tenten, Neji-san?

Neji: (smirking) Yes…

Hitomi: Okay, here.

Neji: (evil grin) open wide, Tenten…

Tenten: your nosh comun any closaaa….(definitely drunk)

Neji: (grabs her by the arms and draws her close to him, trying to stuff the pill into her mouth) Tenten! Stop wriggling! OW DAMMIT SHE BIT ME!

Shikamaru: You know, from the perspective of a bystander, it looks trying to…uh…molest her…

Neji SHUT UP! Who asked for your opinion anyways? THERE! (manages to stuff pill into Tenten's mouth)

Tenten: (magically detoxified! XD) Ow…Neji…you hurt me (sad chibi face)

Neji: …Please don't do that…

Tenten: (begins to cry)

Shikamaru: Neji…even I'm better with girls than you!

Neji: (makes obscene gesture at Shikamaru…then gives Tenten a hug)

Temari: Oi, Shika-kun!

Shikamaru: AIIIIEEEEEEEE! (runs like the wind)

Temari: (smirks) well, that worked. Okay Tenten, he's all yours! (leaves with a madly giggling Hitomi)

Neji: (finally notices that only he and Tenten are left in room) …Tenten…you planned this all along didn't you?

Tenten: (sighs and still continues to hug him) mhmmm…

Neji: thinking: _How the hell did I think she was drunk? Tenten doesn't drink!_ …Hn…

BL: Awww, look at them two, they're such a great couple!

Neji: Wait a minute, why the hell is he here?

Tenten: He shouldn't be…(evil glare) leav me and Neji-kun be!

BL: Sorry, I have to make sure neither of you two start taking your clothes off. Don't be angry at me, your friends put me up to it!

Neji: (narrows his eyes) which ones…?

BL: Hmmm…lemme see (counts fingers) Temari, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Hinata…yes, Hinata…Naruto, some hot chick girl who calls herself 'Kite', she actually paid me to make sure you two didn't do anything…hmmmm…she was apparently older than you two as well, by a decent number of years I'd say…

Neji: (looks at Tenten) do you know a girl named Kite?

Tenten: no…but then, I don't have very many friends…(sighs sadly) spent too much time training, so I don't really have much in the way of a social life…

Neji: (hugs her more tightly, somewhat protectively) don't worry, same thing with me…so what did this 'Kite' girl look like?

Bl: well…uh, she has either black or brown hair… (thinking: _Neji is so damn lucky_)

Neji: …sounds like Tenten…(smirks)

Kk ppl review…

And could u pls write longer and more detailed reviews concerning how good or bad is my writing, suggestions, questions, comments on plot, and constructive criticism?

Saying "good job" is not helping me write better…or update faster in that case…encouraging, yes, but technically no help at all…

But I still appreciate any and all reviews, whether or not u decided to listen to my ranting… good-day!

A/N I'd like to know ur opinions on other pairings…there are several branches of the plot which I can take, depending…on…these…

Kakashi/Rin (I was always fascinated by kakashi's friends from old)

Kakashi/Anko (I just love anko, cuz she's so random, yet powerful…I'd like to use either this or kakashi/rin pairing)

Tema/shika/ino (someone suggested a triangle…personally I'd side with tema/shika)

Anko/OOC

Gai/Anko (I read some interesting fics about this one…very interesting….ROFLOL)

Kakashi/kurenai (fairly popular)

Asuma/kurenai (this one is also fairly popular)

Gai/kurenai (this one I haven't read a single fic about)


	15. Chp 15 Hyuuga Avenger

Japponess: no, it was not long enough…I had intended on putting kakashi in there, but I had a splitting migraine from not sleeping for half a week…so I cut it off there XD…haha…mind u that was the first time tenten actually drank if u didn't catch that …and I love fics that have drunk lee dancing cuz its hilarious! And im rather found of anko…and as she has an affinity with snakes she gets an animal partner! Wait til u see mandra in action! Haha thankies! And about tenten's drinking ability…yes a hundred glasses could kill a man, but tenten is not a man! …and she has another fighting style that has to do with drinking that she will gain later in the fic…

Moonlightpath: ja I like kakashi/anko better too yes I will make lee and hitomi's relationship deeper as the fic goes on! And hiashi will reveal more about neji's mom as u suggested ! and lee alrdy beat neji…well, more like neji kamikazied…lol and no, not really sick of the good jobs they're all very encouraging! … thx for the reviews!

Hibiyuru: lol yes ur reviews r very encouraging indeed! Hmmm…u support kak/kurenai …well I am all for the love triangle, though I cant promise a kaka/kurenai , but gai/kurenai sounds interesting

Hyugatenten: Wow o.0 long review, even though u copied most of it from the chapter lol XD tenten can drink, she's only human! And of course neji can get overprotective… doesn't he seem the type to get overprotective? And when neji feels the need to protect someone, he will kick naruto's ass PMSing neji is Invincible neji XD anyways, they're all aged five more years, so their abilities have changed quite a bit, and lest u forget, naruto beat him with the help of kyuubi, but kyubbi was probably enjoying laughing his ass off at naruto getting beaten up to help him lol hahaha lol watch out for neji hyugatenten! Oh yeah…when lee is drunk, he can do one of three things one, go on a rampage, two, dance like hell! And three, you'll find out later in the fic…and hitomi never gets angry at anyone unless she's in silent killer mode lol and don't let lee hear u say that XD

Pin0ts: don't we all? Neji is constantly warring with his inner emotions and ur welcome!

HikAri Aki: ROFLOL thxs!…though some detail would be nice next time lol but I like ur reviews anyways!

Lil-Donkey: gotta love hinata, cuz she's just so innocent and adorable! And I'd say neji is protective of hinata in a brotherly way…(after the chuunin exams of course)…and anko is one of my fav characters well, its definitely gonna be shika/tema…probably kaka/anko and gai/kurenai XD and yes I procrastinate a lot! Buying time to develop lot some more….

Kodoku: don't worry, as many of u know im a die-hard tenten-neji fan…lol and thx!

ShadowV2.0: um, okay (sweatdrop) guess u…didn't really…read the A/N's at the end…well kakashi/anko is most likely going to happen…

Cyphoid: … thx again…(scream) I FORGOT TO PRACTICE FOR NYO XD! Yes I am working eternal strife into it lol im too lazy to proofread…must…practice…and sleep…

Kaeru Soyokaze: Gai and anko eh? I decided not to use that cuz its mainly for humors and parodies…

Search and Seek and Destroy: (sweatdrops) nooooo yaoi XD lol yes I was thinking of kaka/anko and gai/kurenai (ive never read a gai/kurenai so I shall be the first )…and is Kite Tenten's older sister? Or her enemy? Is Tenten even part of the Kotone Clan? Or a different one? Cough…noble vampires…wouldn't u like to know what their enemies refer to them as? Lol thx for the review!

Keito-kun: lol madra-san is anko's pet…funnily enough he helps keep her under control a lot…I like snakes…and vampires…XD

Kiran: hmm…I never knew that lol, thx! But isn't it the other way around? Hidden cloud of lightning country?

Senjou: Ahhhhh I got a negative review lol XD now I must make corrections! …sry I was procrastinating…and had some random ideas…and I was feeling lazy haha…excuses excuses but I promise the plot will move faster…this chappie contains the duels between Neji and the Main House members…for hitomi's love lol

Anonymous: tema/shika is definite lol, dunno about…asuma/kurenai…lol thx for the review!

Asura of love: whoa, long review lol, I will probably put in a shika/ino/tema triangle, and its gonna be kaka/anko lol…GAI/KURENAI! …hehe and yes hinata is 17 now, I'd think she'd grow her hair out a bit…lol makes her all the more adorable yes something like a war will start…most likely wind and fire vs. lightning and earth…lol

Sarafu-chan: hey! haven't heard from u in a bit lol what's up with your story? Heh, your grandma cut off ur allowance…that sux…oh well, hope this chappie will cheer you up!

Twighlight16: kakashi definitely gonna paired up with anko! Cuz I love anko cuz she can be random, cute, and extremely bloodthirsty…

IceQueen: hello! What's that about 251? XD sry but ive decided to do kaka/anko cuz I luv anko…she needs to be paired up…and about genma…I don't know much about him save he is a player was a good friend of another one of my fav characters, gekkou hayate curse that baki-baka! And gaara's probably gonna stay single until the plot further develops…and when he finally actually comes in for real…

(SCREAMING) AIIEEEEEEE MUST MOVE PLOT ALONG NOW! …dunno how fast though…but I will try to get through with the Hyuuga duels, which I know all you violent people out there have been waiting for…

and …I will try to spell check…yah…um XD

**Oh yes...when i said that the lightning lord had been attracted to tsunade? change it to grass...cuz cloud belongs to lightning XD**

and due to finals and other projects i will only be able to update once per week...

Chapter 15 Hyuuga Avenger

Neji sat by the river, meditating peacefully in preparation for the upcoming duels. _Hn…sunny day I see…much better than yesterday…_

He was sitting with his back to the trunk of a tree. _Guess this could count as sleep…_

Suddenly, a pair of black pants appeared in front of him. He looked up and stared blankly at the owner.

"Good morning Tenten. I see you are properly sober…"

"Hey Neji-chan…"

_Why did she just call me "chan"?_

"You look disappointed…but I think I can help with that." She smiled warmly at him as she suddenly started unbuttoning her shirt.

Neji blinked stupidly, "Uh Tenten?"

She took off the shirt.

"Why did you just take that off?"

"To make you feel better."

"You are still drunk, aren't you?" She took off her pants.

Neji felt his mouth go dry as she leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Neji-kun, I'm all yours…" She then hugged him tightly, wrapping her slender arms around his neck. Neji was meanwhile attempting to suppress an immediate nosebleed when her bare skin touched him (she's still wearing a bra and those really short/tight shorts of hers…). She smiled as she pushed him playfully onto the grass. Though he didn't want to, he found himself enjoying the touch of her hands.

Neji then found, to his utmost horror, that he was completely paralyzed.

_I-I c-can't move! N-No Tenten, s-stay away!_

She lay on his chest, grinning at him. She proceeded to kiss him, and he felt himself kissing her back. _She's so warm…beautiful…_

Tenten whispered seductively to him, "So…do you like me now?"

Neji just stared up at her.

"Hmm…this bra is really getting in the way, it's coming off…"

"NO TENTEN DON'T DO THIS TO YOURSELF!"

She silenced him with a deep kiss…

* * *

And Neji woke up, sweating furiously, as his heart was coming close to imploding. A bead of the salty water dripped down his brow as he clasped a trembling hand to his face. _Ohmigod…another dream…I really need to go see a psychiatrist…_

He was laying in his bed. And he felt the need to take a nice cold shower.

All he could think of in the shower, was how real the dream felt.

"NOOOO I CANNOT BE TURNING INTO JIRAIYA!"

Neji began bashing his head against the walls of the shower in frustration.

Meanwhile, a servant came into the room and stopped outside Neji's bathroom.

"Sir?" No answer.

He pressed his ears against the door. What he heard was rather perturbing. He heard Neji continuously repeat to himself amid a steady thunking noise, "I am not a pervert I am not a pervert I am not a pervert…I am not a pervert I am not a pervert."

The servant gaped at the door for a while, before hastily running out of the room in a panic.

A while later, after he had calmed his raging hormones down, He got dressed and walked out.

* * *

Neji stood on the podium, a little bored and a little sleepy. _A little tired…I should've actually slept a bit more…_

Behind him, he could feel the eyes of the Council burning into his back. He had the perfect chance to just turn around and…

"Neji, I know what you're thinking…please don't think…" whispered Hiashi, without moving nor flicking his eyes towards Neji. Neji just smirked rebelliously.

Neji, and five other male Hyuugas stood on a platform. Behind them was the Hyuuga Council of Elders. In the center of the semicircle formed by the seating of the Council was head of the Hyuuga Clan, Hiashi, who surveyed all with his emotionless gaze. Also present were was Lord Usaga, though Hitomi was nowhere to be found, as well as the rest of the Hyuuga Clan, which numbered at least a hundred. They were grouped around a large clearing inside the Hyuuga Estates, set for battle.

Hinata stood next to Hina, her posture straight and more confident than it had been in years, but only because Neji-niisan told her to. Inside, she was worried for Neji. Hinata scanned the faces of his opponents. _Neji will be fighting Hoshi, Tsugo, Rai, and Hisui…a Chuunin, two jounins, and one Special jounin…Neji-niisan's rank is only jounin, but I am pretty sure he can take on a special by himself. The only problem is…he will be forced to fight them successively…one after another…_

She looked at Neji in concern, and Hina put a hand on her shoulder, whispering, "Don't worry Hinata-chan, Neji-niisan is one of the strongest…he will persevere…"

"Hina-neesan, you can tell by just looking at the Council that they're going to have the fights be to the death!"

"Well, based on what I know, Neji should have no problem with Hoshi, Rai, and Tsugo…it's Hisui, he's 26 and special jounin…used to be ANBU captain…"

Hinata let a small whimper of fear.

* * *

Neji stood there, emotionless and still as a statue. He could sense the seriousness of the mood and the impending danger. Truth betold, he was not worried; quite the contrary, he was bored as hell. But of course, he didn't show it. 

_This is the moment I've been waiting for…the day I show that the Main House is not superior to the Side Branch…_

He stood at attention as Hiashi stood up and walked to the front of the stage. Calling out, he announced loudly, "This will be a set of one-on-one matches, the winner accepting the hand of Usaga Hitomi in marriage…the first battle, will be between Main Branch Hyuuga Hoshi and Side Branch Hyuuga Neji…"

Neji and the youngest of the four Main Branch members leapt off from the platform to the center of the arena. Both were eighteen and experienced shinobi, but it was quite obvious to Neji who would win. _This will be my warm-up…_

The other Hyuuga smirked at Neji, as they bowed to each other in accords with the unwritten codes of conduct for duelists.

Hoshi smirked widely at Neji, who merely stared back coldly.

"So…you really think you, a side branch, could defeat me? From what I heard, you stole the Kaiten technique from Hinata-san, didn't you? You unforgivable scum…"

Neji smirked at this. Ironically, he had been the one to teach Hinata the Kaiten.

"Don't you smirk at me, you low-born piece of crap…"

"Really now, I'm a jounin…you're a chuunin…we're both eighteen…it's quite obvious who is the genius here…"(A/N haha ph34r the Neji arrogance…)

"Why you little arrogant—"

"Think now…you've seen me fight…you know I am faster than you…stronger…and I have full mastery over the Hakkeshou techniques…you still wish to fight me?"

"No Side Branch will ever be as strong as the Main House! PREPARE YOURSELF," he took the 64 Hands of Hakke stance, "HAKKESHOU: ROKUJUU YONSHUU 64 HANDS OF HAKKE!"

He sprinted at Neji, who took the stance, slowly, almost leisurely, crouching into the position.

"Hakkeshou…Rokujuu Yoshuu…"

Hoshi popped up in front of Neji and spun around to deal to strikes to Neji's chest. Save the fact had already landed four strikes. Hoshi's eyes widened as he was literally lifted helplessly into the air. Neji's glint glinted with malicious fury as he performed his move.

"16 strikes! 32 strikes!" Neji was a human blur as he began landing lightning fast finger-strikes to the tenketsu points of Hoshi.

"64 STRIKES! DRAGON BANE! FINISHER 128 STRIKES!"

Neji spun around, spinning Hoshi around, as his hands lashed out, now striking pressure points. He was about to deal the last, fatal strike to the neck as Hiashi called out, "Neji! Enough! Neji is the winner!"

Hoshi crumpled to the ground in a heap, as Neji abruptly stopped his assault. Neji looked at Hiashi angrily, his pale eyes unblinking. Hiashi shook his head, and nodded towards Hinata, who was frozen in shock. Neji nodded grudgingly. But he leered mischievously at the rest of the Elder's Council. They were all appalled, their mouths hanging open in shock.

Hinata shivered. She had remembered when she had to fight Neji five years ago, in the Chuunin Exams. That was before he was rescued from the darkness of his past. He had nearly killed her. If it wasn't for the fact that some people had yelled at him to stop, namely Tenten-san, who was the only person he ever listened to. She trembled again. She had always been fearful of Neji's power. But he was still like a brother to her, and she was sure he wouldn't kill anyone. He had been changed after all. Looking around, Hinata then noticed with some alarm that Tenten wasn't present.

Neji smirked, as he replied slowly, "What is so surprising. Hoshi was a weakling. He did not deserve to live, but for your sake, I spared him…"

Hiashi stood up again, as attendants carefully carried Hoshi's broken body off the floors.

"Next match, Neji versus Tsugo."

Tsugo leapt down from the platform. He had his hair tied back in a long pony-tail, sort of like how Neji used to put his.

Neji smiled in anticipation. _Another Jounin…this ought to be amusing…_

The older Hyuuga said nothing, but instead just looked down at Neji, as though he wasn't worth the effort.

Tsugo took the Gentle Fist stance. Neji copied him, and the two stared down each other. Neji then suddenly had an image of his dream of Tenten. He quickly pinched his nose as he felt a nosebleed come up. (A/N everyone sweatdrops at that point lol )

Tsugo wasted no time in attacking as Neji attempted to staunch an imminent flow of blood.

_Of all the things to happen during a duel THE FSKING HORMONES!_

Tsugo fired a palm at Neji midsection, which Neji dance around and dealt him a kick to the side. Recovering, Tsugo roared and swung both arms at Neji.

Neji, funnily enough, was more concerned with the nosebleed than what would happen if one of Tsugo's chakra enhanced limbs connected with his head. Maybe that was because Neji was having more trouble with the nosebleed than with Tsugo.

"CURSE YOU SIDE BRANCH SCUM! STOP RUNNING AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN! DO NOT MOCK ME!"

Neji shook his head rapidly, not bothering replying as he literally single-handedly blocked all of Tsugo's blows.

_Hn…I think it's stopped…_

Neji paused for a moment as he released his grip on his nose. He smirked, "Ah, it's go—"

Neji flew away as a palm connected with his side.

"I got you!"

Neji lay on the ground, motionless. Nearby, Hinata was about to faint.

Tsugo smiled as he took out a kunai.

Hinata gasped as she watched Tsugo stab a blade into the fallen Neji.

"He doesn't mince words, does he?"

Hinata looked on her left and found a Neji wiping his nose with a bloody tissue. Hinata then looked back at Tsugo, on the other side of the arena, who was repeatedly stabbing Neji with a kunai. She then looked back to her left. Neji smirked at her.

"What? You really thought I'd let him hit me? Don't worry, I'll jump back in once the stupid nosebleed stops…"

"How did you get a nosebleed?"

Neji glared at her, shutting her up.

* * *

Meanwhile on the platform overlooking the match, Hiashi was doing his best to keep a straight face. He had the urge to burst out laughing at Tsugo, who was still hacking away at the bloody form of the Neji Bunshin. Tsugo finally straightened up, smiling victoriously. That smile instantly wiped off his face as the bloody form beneath him exploded in a puff of smoke and fire. Tsugo was hurled backwards, and then he felt a presence behind him. He turned around in mid-air and managed to block two powerful blows to his head. He landed, planting two feet firmly on the ground, and whipped around to face the real Neji. 

Neji smirked at him, "Have you had enough fun yet? Enjoyed the complete dissection of my Bunshin, didn't you? Then you'll love thi move…HAKKESHOU SUCCESSION: 64 PALM BLADES!"

Tsugo screamed as almost instantly Neji thrusted his hands into the air in front of him relentlessly, blasting spikes of chakra into Tsugo's body, which was being cut apart. A moment later, what remained of Tsugo fell to earth in a bloody mess of detached body parts. Neji had moved so that he was in front of Hinata, blocking her from the gory view. Yes, he would wreak havoc on the Main House, but he would still protect Hinata's innocence for as long as possible.

Hiashi sat there, staring blankly into space. Neji had just taken the first step to vengeance against the Main House. He had just killed a member of the Main House, which he was supposed to be sworn to protect. _I guess this was partially my fault…_

Neji looked upon the results of his move with a hard face. They deserved it, the Main House. This was his first step in his long-awaited move to revenge for his father's death. They would learn to fear him, the Huuga Neji, Prodigy of Konoha. _But Hinata is innocent…so I will make sure she remains that way…_

"Two down…two to go…" he whispered softly. The Council was once again awestruck, and horrified to the greatest extent. There was an air of eerie silence as everyone spectating just realized the battle results. More amazing was Neji's new technique.

Neji had once again won with relative ease. He hadn't even broken a sweat yet (though he did lose a decent amount of blood…). Neji watching unmovingly as attendants hastily carried away the blood-splattered corpse of Hyuuga Tsugo.

Neji suddenly turned to the Council and bowed to them mockingly. Several of them glared at his impudence, but didn't do anything. Smriking, Neji asked, "Are you sure you want to risk more of your Main House members in such pointless fights? You understand you have no chance…of defeating me."

At this, Rai leapt at Neji with a cry of anger from the platform. His speed surprised Neji momentarily, but it was of no effect.

"Jyuuken!"

Rai thrusted his palm at Neji's head, intent on splattering his brains, but Neji countered with his own Gentle Fist Palm Strike. The two blows connected with each other, and Rai was blasted back onto the platform, while Neji merely spun around, dissipating the power of the blow.

"Are you sure you want to try again?" Neji placed both hands behind his back. Rai got up, glaring at him angrily.

"Still the coward I see…"

Rai was furious. He wanted nothing more than to tear Neji apart. Neji's eyes widened as Rai suddenly appeared in front of him.

_Well, he's been a jounin longer than Tsugo had…_

Neji had no more time to think, only act, as Rai unleashed his barrage of strikes at Neji.

Dodging a blow to the shoulder, he gripped the wrist with his amazing agility and was about to snap it, when a kick to the midsection sent Neji tumbling onto the ground.

Hinata had wondered what Neji had done to Tsugo, but as she saw was his back blocking her view. But she had seen the blood fly through the air, and when they carried Tsugo away on a crimson-stained trencher. She understood how, but she did not understand why still. She knew Neji was still angry with the Branch issue and the cursed seal, but she had nothing to do with it. She wondered if, given the choice, would he kill her? _No…Neji-san is like my brother…he would never…do that…but then why did he kill Tsugo-san?_

Fortunately she had never been too fond of Tsugo, but his death was still a shock to her. But she didn't feel angry at Neji, just a little shocked. But hse'd never hate him; she understood the pain he had been put through. Hinata just prayed that Neji would one day make peace with the Main Branch, before anyone else was killed. 

Neji knocked aside a kick and immediately shouldered Rai as he fell off balance. Rai tumbled to the ground, but sent half a dozen kunais flying accurately at Neji, which he caught between his fingers without batting an eye. This drew a gasp from the onlookers

"How did you do that?" Rai hastily jumped up to his feet.

"You'll know when you train non-stop with a weapons master as your sparring partner for about 7 years…" He huffed in annoyance.

"What?"

"Are you going to keep stalling, or fight?"

Rai pulled out a kunai and rushed Neji. Neji smiled and wadded in. He lashed out at Rai as fast as possible, raining down countless blows at Rai's unprotected spots, sending the kunai clattering to the ground. "HOW MANY HANDS DO YOU SEE?"

Rai gasped in pain as Neji continued to pummel him mercilessly. Rai, unable to take the pain, collapsed down to his knees. Neji then dealt him a roundhouse kick and sent him sprawling across the field. Rai lay motionless, completely knocked out.

* * *

Tenten walked sadly through the bustling streets of Konoha, keeping her head bowed down as she weaved effortlessly through the crowds. 

"Ten-chan!"

Tenten looked towards the source of the voice. A pink-haired kunoichi bounded happily towards her. Sakura flashed a smile at Tenten, who returned a it.

"Come on Tenten, that was such…a fake! Why the long face?"

"Uhnn…nothing really, just, a bit tired…"

Sakura examined her seriously for a moment, and then replied, "It's Neji isn't it?"

Tenten widened her eyes for a brief second, but quickly masked herself with a bored expression.

"…Well, yes, Neji is fighting in a duel right now, so yes, I'm worried about him…"

Sakura smiled, "Tenten, you can't fool me. I know you love him. It's quite obvious, I, being a kunoichi, can't miss the way you face lights up every time you see him, talk about him, talk _to_ him, touch him…nothing to be embarrassed about! It's like how I was In love with Sasuke…well is…" Her face took a far-off expression as she reminisced about Sasuke's disappearance. Shaking her head, Sakura quickly snapped herself out of her own thoughts.

"Sorry, it's just…every time I think about Sasuke…I realized that my love wasn't just some crazed fan-girl love…I didn't just love him for his looks, but his inner-self, his own helplessness, which he struggled to hide while he was with us. I didn't realized the extent of my love until that fateful day…Tenten, you know how's he's engaged to Hitomi-san?"

Tenten blinked and nodded.

"Well if you were wondering where I found out, Tsunade-sensei told me. He's engaged, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't want—"

"The duel he's fighting is for her love. If he loses, then he doesn't marry her. If he wins, then he will marry her, either tomorrow or day after."

Sakura covered her mouth with her hand, "That's horrible. I'm so sorry Tenten!"

"What's there to be sorry about? If you truly love someone, then you will not keep that person for yourself; rather, you would wish the best for him or her. Support them in all their ventures, love-related or not. I full support his marriage with Usaga Hitomi. Because I care about him." Tenten smiled at Sakura.

"But Tenten-san, remember, you don't realize what you love until it's lost forever…like how I lost Sasuke…" Sakura looked with concern at Tenten. "I know you love him, you can't hide from the facts. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to marry…yet…"

"He sad so…but he's still fighting for her…" Suddenly, Tenten clasped her hands to her cheeks. After talking about Neji's duels, she finally realized something.

"What's wrong?"

"Ohmigod…I promised Neji I would be there to watch him fight! Sorry Sakura gotta go!" Tenten disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a very confused Sakura behind. But then, Sakura smiled and whispered softly after her, "You go get him, girl…"

* * *

Kakashi made his way to the Hyuuga Estates. He had heard something about a duel, or duels. To him, it was another chance to see the Hyuuga bloodlines in action again. _Ought to be exciting…_

He had just finished training for about two days straight. Very close to mastering his new set of homemade moves, he was. He grinned to himself as he walked along the sidewalk, occasionally being greeted by passersby. _They only smile at me because I was the prodigy pupil of Yondaime…_

Kakashi sensed something coming at him, and fast. He whirled around and jumped out of the way as a black blur whirred past him. He took out a kunai, ready for combat, but the blur merely sped away towards the Estates.

_If I didn't know better I'd say that was Tenten-san…cute girl…she and the Hyuuga Icebox would make an interesting couple…pity he's being sold off to the Usagas…_

"Kakashi-san. Good morning to you."

Kakashi turned to see a pretty, black-haired woman standing beside him.

Why is everyone sneaking up on me? God, I must be tired… 

"As to you, Anko-chan!"

"Are you going to watch the duels?"

"Yes…you too, I guess?"

She smiled and nodded as they resumed walking. He looked at her curiously. She seemed deep in thoughts, with a serious, almost sad expression on her face. _She does look pretty cute that way…_. After looking her up and down, he finally came to a conclusion: _Whoa…check out the curves…babe-o-rama_. She finally noticed his gaze and blushed, looking away with a small smile.

_Ohmigod…Anko blushing and then smiling after I checked her out…I REALLY need to sleep…_

Anko walked beside Kakashi quickly, her tenchcoat flowing slowly behind her. It was simple, peaceful moments like this, which she cherished. She also felt strangely happy to be within such close proximity with Kakashi's taller frame. She had formed a sort of bond with Kakashi, after working together on several key missions in the past five years. She viewed him as a great shinobi, and respected him for his power. She wondered how he viewed her. But she really didn't care too much. She had been wary of getting to attached to anyone; anyways, she was considered off-limits to all the bachelors of Konoha, as she was commonly acknowledged as Orochimaru's apprentice. Of course, the annoying thing was—

**The boys can't keep their eyes off your body, can't they? If you didn't notice, Patch-eye over there was checking you out…and he seems to approve of you…**

Kakashi watched in surprised as Anko slapped her coat randomly, as if trying to hit something inside of it.

**Ouch! Damn you woman! OWWWW! NOT THE EYE!**

Kakashi stared in amusement as Anko began furiously smacking the same spot over her beige coat again. The lump that she was hitting seemed to be moving. _What in hell is she carrying there?_

Neji stood relaxedly, holding his arms behind him as he stood, one foot slightly in front of the other. His final opponent was Hisui, the Hyuuga Special Jounin. Though one of the ANBU commanders, he did not bear the mark of the ANBU, yet was considered a fully-fledged member of the ANBU.

Hisui stared Neji down, his icy glare rivaling all other Hyuuga death-glares. But Neji had mastered the same technique, and they continued to glare at each other.

Hina snorted in amazement and whispered, "Glaring contest…typical of Hyuuga males, Main Branch or Side Branch…"

Hinata stifled a giggle just then, as she then noticed with a visible degree of surprise that a blonde boy had appeared beside her rather furtively. Naruto turned to grin at Hinata. "I see Neji's already started the party without me…isn't that guy a special jounin?"

Hinata nodded, "One of my cousins, Hyuuga Hisui, Special Jounin, unofficial ANBU leader…2 S-ranked, 11 A-ranked, 20 B-ranked, 37 C-ranked…very powerful. I'm scared. Neji might have trouble with Hisui."

"…I saw Neji kill that Tsugo guy…tch, pretty vicious, but that's Neji for you. Ever fools around, and I respect him for that!"

Hina noticed Naruto and frowned at him. Naruto smiled back at her good-naturedly. Hinata nodded to Hina, who frowned, but then smiled at Naruto, before turning her attention back to Neji's fight.

* * *

Tenten sat on a thick branch of a tree, overlooking the clearing in the Hyuuga Estates. She watched the scene unfold, as hundreds of other spectators watched the match. Tenten frowned. The two were just standing there, staring at each other. 

"Why hello there…"

Tenten nearly jumped out of the tree as she whipped around to see Kakashi and Anko looking at her.

"So…keeping your eyes on Neji, eh?" Anko nudged him in the ribs.

"Be nice Kakashi…I noticed you don't have a boyfriend yet…"

"Same for you as far as I know…"

"Oh Kakashi…you know that all the boys view me as a no-fly zone."

"Really, then the boys must be rather stupid, to leave such a fine young woman like you lonely." Kakashi smirked beneath his facemask.

Tenten just stared at the strange pair of Jounins. Kakashi grinned pervertedlybeneath his mask again, but got a smack on the head from Anko.

* * *

Neji's eyebrow began twitching. _Why won't he make a move?_ _Byakugan! No, nope, it's not an illusion…he's still standing there…I guess I'll have to start it then…Gentle Fist style first…no…even better, he smirked, this will throw him off a bit…_

Neji broke eye contact and charged, his Byakugan activated. He leapt up a couple feet in front of Hisui and spun around, performing a move he had learned from Lee.

"KONOHA WHIRLWIND!"

Hisui eyes widened slightly, but then returned to their normal state as he prepared to counter; he wasn't expecting Neji to use something like this—

THWACK! Hisui was sent reeling across the arena, but he flipped over in mid-air and landed neatly on his feet. He reached up and touched the spot where he had been struck, right on the point of his chin. _I thought I blocked that? …I see…he's faster than I had expected…I'll have to stop playing around…_

Neji stood in the center of the pitch, his Byakugan eyes watching Hisui every move. Suddenly, Hisui emitted a bright flash, which instantly blinded everyone.

Neji had only one thing he could use, now with his Byakugan disabled temporarily.

"HAKKESHOU: KAITEN!"

His perfected Heavenly Spin immediately took effect and whiled about gusts of wind. He could feel both blunt and pointy objects striking the edge of the sphere. Slowly, he regained he eyesight, and he slowed. But right when he stopped spinning, a fist whirled out of the dust and nearly slammed into his face. Neji jerked his head to the side, just in time to avoid the critical hit.

He crouched and spun around, whipping both arms about. He threw them around him, attempting to strike Hisui, who he surmised was within his striking range. But he hit empty air, as his limbs whistled through empty air.

He quickly calculated what had aspired and immediately flipped upwards, swinging his legs up in a vertical spin kick. He felt his blow connect, but the next thing he knew, Hisui had grabbed his foot and drove him into the ground head-first. Neji would have a flat head, if he hadn't struck the ground with a Palm Strike, imploding a 6-foot crater into being.

This reversal of momentum allowed him to fly back up with Hisui and he curled up and struck Hisui on the shoulder with two fingers, hitting a pressure point causing Hisui to release hold on Neji's legs. Hisui spun around and struck down with his legs, and Neji spun as the blow struck him, redirecting the force of the kick.

They landed and almost simultaneously jumped high into the air, intent on continuing their duel with an astounding display of aerial arts (A/N once again, every goes all out matrix-style).

Neji used his palm blade, but Hisui jukked out of the way, spinning about to whip several shurikens at Neji, who rotated in mid-air to dodge them.

"Asshou!" (A/N no i was not trying to spell "asshole"...this is a real taijutsu technique)

Hisui spun forward and attempted to smash Neji to the ground, but Neji gripped a hold of Hisui's arm and they both plummeted to the ground. Hen they hit the ground, the sent up a large cloud of dust, obscuring everyone's views.

When the dust cleared, it showed the two furiously exchanging blows.

Neji spun around crouching down on one foot, performing a low leg sweep with the other, attempting to knock Hisui off balance, but Hisui just leapt over his foot and aimed a kick at Neji's head, who pressed himself to the ground to avoid the hit. Neji struck the ground, sending him careening into Hisui, who was shocked by the sudden move.

Neji immediately performed the Jyuuken Palm Strike, but he found that Hisui had used the substitution technique to replace himself with a log. Neji grabbed a hold of the log with one hand, and spotting Hisui with his Byakugan, spun around and launched the piece of wood at him. HIsui shattered it with a Palm Strike.

* * *

Hinata was getting more and more frantic. She was very worried indeed, as Neji might have met his match in the Special Jounin. She started to bite her nails again, as the fight continued to grow more brutal. What if she lost Neji? He was more of a brother to her than all of the males of the Main Branch combined. Sure, he was rather cold and distant, but he was kind to her, and protected her and trained her himself. Hinata had always looked up to him in terms of strength. 

For his age, Hinata knew Neji had already exceeded records set by past shinobi, and was probably only out distanced by Uchiha Itachi and the Yondaime in terms of development.

She gave a small gasp as Neji barely ducked a blurred swipe, which managed to cut off several strands of his hair. He responded by returning a full fusillade of Jyuuken blows. Neji had several open cuts, from which he was bleeding from profusely. His robe was now a set of jagged rags. In annoyance, he threw off the outer robe, which was nearly torn to pieces and merely hindered his movement. His long hair flowed freely around his face, his band having been cut apart from dodging a kunai strike.

Hinata whimpered as Hisui unleashed a flame ninjutsu, invoking a bonfire to rise from beneath Neji's feet. To her relief, she saw Neji summon a waterfall attack which doused the field in a deluge of water. She smiled slightly when she saw Neji smirk; that always reassured her, as it meant that the fight was still in his favor. But then again, Hinata had to still see a fight which the battle was against Neji. _Except for that Kidoumaru character Neji-niisan told me about…Tenten-san nearly died from grief after thinking he had been killed…_

She bit her lip, and flinched a little when she felt an arm drape protectively over her shoulder. She instinctively looked about, and saw Naruto with a foxy grin on his face.

"Don't worry Hinata, the only person who can beat Neji is me!"

Hinata smiled and nodded. Hina was resisting the urge to giggle at the "couple" beside her.

* * *

Tenten watched with a mixture of horror and amazement. She had never see Neji go all-out like this, yet she still feared for him. _What if he gets hurt? Or what if…killed?_

She slapped a hand to her head. _Must stop thinking of the negative…start thinking positive!_

She thought of what would happen if Neji won. She realized he would marry Hitomi. _No…why? _

She then remembered what Sakura had told her. _"You don't realize what you love until it's lost forever…"_

Neji danced to the left, avoiding a quick kick to the knee, and then feinted right, but sneaked a punch through Hisui defenses with his left pair of fingers, striking a pressure point on the shoulder, disabling Hisui's right arm fro a brief two seconds. But it was enough for Neji.

"HAKKESHOU: 64 HANDS OF HAKKE!"

Neji slumped into the stance and catapulted himself at Hisui, spinning around to deal to bone-jarring strikes to the first tenketsu points on Hisui's chest. These strikes already carried enough force to lift Hisui into the air, but of course, Neji wasn't even close to being done with him. His pairs of fingers blurred as he increased his speed with the number of hits he was racking up.

_16…32…64! _

Neji then attempted his final move. "128 STRIKES! HYDRA-STYLE…"

Hisui's eyes widened, as he coughed out some blood. His body was shaking in mid-air with all of the strikes landing on him. His white eyes were round with fear.

With sweat flying off his forehead, Neji put his limits to the test once again, attempting the nearly impossible 256 strikes. His arms created a bluring of motions in fornt of him, as the air started to whistle with the speed of his jabs.

"256!"

Hisui sailed across the arena. He had just been pretty much sealed of all his available chakra. Barely able to, Hisui staggered to his feet, coughing out blood, as his weakened arms hung loosely by his side. He started at Neji, who's mouth had creased into a small smile now, and calculated his options. He had almost nothing left. Except…

Hisui smiled vehemently. He brought his hands up for one simple hand seal, a jutsu that barely required any jutsu.

Neji panted, wiping rivulets of sweat from his forehead as his body attempted to stabilize his internal conditions. Using the move was extremely strenuous. He hadn't mastered it yet, and every time he used it, he would push him to his limits and beyond them. He could feel his muscles protesting. His 256 Hydra Form was what he considered to be of equal to the Lotus Techniques. They pushed the body to its breaking point, forcing it to use over 70 percent of its muscle mass (human body usually only uses up to 20 percent as an involuntary safety measure).

He looked at Hisui strangely, who snapped up his hands to perform a hand seal.

_He can't do anything…I sealed up his chakra pool…_

A moment later, Neji felt a burning pain tear through his mind. He collapsed onto the ground, writhing in agony, as hot white flames tore through his brain. _HE'S USING THE FSKING CURSE!

* * *

_

Tenten watched in happiness as Neji finished off Hisui with his 256 strikes. But then, Hisui got up, and the next thing she knew, Neji was the one on the ground twitching and rolling. _Nooo…Neji! I have to help him!_

She leapt out of the tree silently, putting on her stealth and speed.

* * *

Hinata was held back by several Hyuuga's as she tried desperately to ran at Hisui and strike him down for using such a cowardly tactic. 

"NEJIIIIII!"

Naruto was also being held back by several Main Branch members. Several Side Branch members attempted to help, put they had their curse seals activated as well.

* * *

Hiashi stood up angrily, and was about to unleash a long-range jutsu on Hisui, if the Elders hadn't stood up to oppose him 

"WHAT IS THIS TREACHERY?"

"Leave the Side Branch alone to their fate…if you wish to remain Head of the Hyuuga Clan."

Hiashi was about to reply, but he caught a flicker of movement behind the elders, he sat down.

Neji was almost crying out in pain, as waves of it surged through him. _This is it, I die!_

His last image was of a grinning Hisui suddenly get punctured by two dozen senbons, as a familiar pink blur rushed overhead.

* * *

Rai, who had gained consciousness, was furious. He had been looking forward to seeing Hisui take off Neji's head. But now Hisui was practically a porcupine-turned-road kill, after some stupid kunoichi jumped in. That girl (A/N everyone's fav and adorable weapons mistress). 

He pulled out a kunai. The girl he didn't recognize, or at least didn't remember. _A nobody getting in involved with our affairs? I'll kill her myself…_

He silently sprinted across the dusty grounds towards the girl, who was kneeling by Neji's side. She had some tears coming out of her eyes.

_Hmph…pathetic crybaby too…makes me only want to tear her to pieces._

He leapt up, and brought down the kunai, aiming at her neck. She suddenly stiffened, and then whirred about. _She's fast!_

A small flash of light appeared in her fist, and the next thing he knew, there was a kidachi in her hand, and with it, she blocked the blow.

_What? How did she sense me? And where did the weapon come from._

Rai didn't have any time to respond as Tenten shocked the world around her once more.

Rai felt her slam he open palm into his stomach, and he screamed in pain as he felt his inner organs rupture. _What the hell?_

That was his last thought before he blacked out, and collapsed backwards, coughing out a mouthful of blood.

* * *

Fortunately for Tenten, the people present, mostly Hyuugas, had only seen her knock the Jounin down, not how. But Hiashi stared hard at Tenten, narrowing his eyes. He had caught the almost too-fast-to-catch movement by Tenten, and knew exactly what move she had performed. 

Tenten quickly ran over to the convulsing body of the fallen Neji.

"Neji…" she whispered softly, "Neji, are you all right? Can you still hear me?"

Neji opened his eyes with visible agony, as if the movement was the thing that was hurting him. Slowly, trembling, he turned his head slightly to look at her, as he made an attempt to sit up.

He smiled at her and whispered back, "W-Well…T-Tenten-san…I-it a-appears that I-I have met my m-match…I am d-defeated…"

"No…he was using a cheap trick…your curse…"

"No, I-I lost…and now I am no longer engaged to Hitomi…"

Tenten blinked back tears, as she cupped a pale hand to his cheek. "But Neji…she is the perfect wife for you…she carries a bloodline from what I know, and she's of noble blood, like you…" She smiled sadly. "I still say you won…with that 256 strikes…it was obvious to everyone who was the greater shinobi…"

"Tenten…I lost…why do you want me to marry Hitomi…?"

"I just wish you the best…as you are my best friend…and I care about you…"

Neji's convulsions had started to cease, and his voice had become the usual air of seriousness. But Neji's eyes twinkled.

"Ahh, so you do care about me…well, I won't marry Hitomi, unless you really want me to…"

"R-Really? Y-You don't?"

"I've been saying that for the past week…Ten-chan."

Tenten blushed at the addition of the prefix to her nickname. Neji smiled and took a hold of her hand, which was placed on his cheek. He closed his eyes and for a second there, Tenten thought she had lost him. Until she figured out he had fallen asleep on her. Then she started to boil with anger. _So, I just made a fool of myself for him, and he falls asleep…Neji, you arrogant…egotistical…PIG!_

THWACK! CRACK! CRUNCH!

"AIIIIEEEEEE!"

* * *

**Oh dear…I do believe Tenten-chan is hurting Neji there…I had always thought she liked him…**

"He fell asleep on her…I would have done the same..."

**Oh…**

"Did you say something Anko?" Anko turned to Kakashi.

"Oh no, just talking…to my pet…"

"Oh..." Kakashi scratched his head sheepishly. _It's that damn snake of her...Panda, was it? or Mantra?_

Mandra poked his head out of Anko's clothes and smirked evilly at Kakashi, who glared at him with one eye, jealously.

End chp 15

Naruto: Hellooo Hinata… (grins at her)

Hinata: H-Hello Naruto…

Neji: (appears magically behind Naruto) Hello Naruto…

Naruto: HOW THE HELL?

Neji: I was stalking you to make sure you did nothing with Hinata-sama…

Tenten: (glomps Neji) Ohayo Neji-kun!

Neji: AHHHHHH STALKER!

Naruto: Really? I thought she was your girlfriend…

Neji: of course not…

Tenten: I'm not? (sad chibi-face)

Suddenly the whole cast of Naruto appears and surrounds Neji and Tenten

Naruto Cast: (chanting in unison) kiss the girl kiss the girl kiss the girl

Neji faints…tenten cries…

Itachi: Hey…baby, wanna come oona date with me?

Itachi gets impaled by a javelin…courtesy of Tenten…

Shikamaru: how about me?

Gets impaled by a six-foot senbon…courtesy of the weapons mistress…

All the males quickly scatter as Tenten goes insane…

Ino: …ohmigod….i think she just killed sasuke…

Sakura: NOOOOO SASUKE!

Temari: YEAH, YOU GO GIRL!

…**ok ppl I am done…time to start hw…**

**make ur REVIEWS LONG, DETAILED, WITH COMMENTS, CRITICISM, AND QUESTIONS! Sry just needed to get that through to you ppl **


	16. Chp 16 New Assignments

Moonlightpath: Hello read what u finished of ur one-shot…luv it! Who gave u the idea that it was coming to an end? …I just got the plot moving like two chapters ago lol everything you've read so far is only minor…and Tenten now likes to use senbons! Cuz she's now got insane acupuncture skills like haku…hisui is not a coward…just a cheating bastard XD neji is not looking to prove himself, as much as revenge fro his father's death nah Neji become sort of a legend now…but since hisui won technically, hitomi's gonna be forced to marry him…poor hitomi…but that's where lee comes in oh yah, thx for the LJ info stuff appreciate it! …BRIANNA XD …last names…why do they have ta be japanese? …arno…ROFLOL…hello cousin XD

Asura of love: Of course neji kicks ass, he's neji XD aww poor sasuke lol…no one seems to like him that much now…peer pressure…lol neji and tenten couldn't stand it…and of course neji isn'ta pervert…not by heart at least…XD he just loses control of his hormones all too often…and ill slow down the anko/kaka pairing a bit…hope u enjoy this chappie! Don't worry, I no will be in it as well all of the genning nine will definitely be in here…shino will come soon…as well as kiba…

Kaeru Soyokaze: Tenten is an animal! XD a cute one…anyways, ya I like writing action stories…so fight scenes are my specialties…as u can probably see, I suck at romance…well, anyways, hope im improving somehow, enjoy ah poor neji, he lost because of the stupid curse seal

Japponess: whenever I feel the urge to read a good nejitenten I usually pic one of urs lol, like ur most recent one, the "cold floors thingy" lol…and poor neji, the boy has issues, fight scenes! I luv violence XD yay! I have fan! Enjoy!

Hibiyuru: lol the three essential elements of a good review lol ya its gonna be kaka/anko most likely, enjoy the chapter and thx for the review…no worries literally everyone will appear in this story, even if they're just mentioned in the passing or part of a flashback…shino will appear soon enough…

Rikku: lol XD u haven't read chp 15 but u read it anyways lol, but I appreciate the review! Enjoy

The essence of popsicles: really? Lol consider it my birthday gift XD animal summons and partners are great lol, I wish I had one…T-T ph34r neji's vicious attacks

HikAri Aki: lol neji and tenten have little personal of bonding…that usually fail miserably XD lol enjoy!

Kodoku: course it's a nejitenten and leehitomi XD

Sarafu-chan: Neji turns into happosai…XD omg…scary thoughts…talk about a dreamer…lol chibiTENTEN!

Search and Seek and Destroy: lol tenten quite the powerhouse isn't she? Lol

Kunoichi goddess: lol thxs! enjoy!

Keito-kun: lol tenten does that often…and about the first part, tenten had nothing to do with it, it was all in Neji's head XD lol …scary tenten --'

Twighlight16: yay my grammar is fine lol! Enjoy!

Chibi-nin-Adara: 0;0 wow…really looooooooooong review…longest one yet…XD lol thx for the review! Much appreciated, these descriptive reviews lol I decided not to do kakarin cuz it wouldn't fit into the plot very well lol…ill do kakarin later…XD

Senjou: yay long review !

Sry it took so long to update XD I had some school issues to deal with…coughfinalscough…

Chapter 16 New Assignments

Neji awoke and stared up at the ceiling. Or the top velvet cover of the bed. Neji looked to his left side. Tenten was sitting there, sleeping, resting her _gorgeous_ head in her arms on the bed cover, only several millimeters away from his arms.. Neji blinked again. _I think that curse killed one too many brain cells…I think I just used the word "gorgeous" for the first time in my life._

He blinked, his right hand going to his forehead, which he found was missing his headband, which had been replaced with a icepack. _Oh…I was wondering why I was feeling so cold…_

With some irritation, he ripped off the pack, and nearly let loose a scream of pain. _…Ah…that hurt…just a little…_

He looked at the ice pack, and then at Tenten. Absentmindedly he tossed the pack of ice to the side with a THUNK! He smiled slightly. _Well…I can't really say I don't care about her…I always did care about you…Tenten…just not the way I should have…you're not my friend…you're more than that…I…guess I need you, as my weakness…and my strength…_

He raised a bandaged left hand to Tenten's dark hair, running his fingers over the brunette tresses. He smiled, as he reached for one of her hair buns, and with much daring (no simple mortal would dare touch Tenten's hair buns! Only a fool would!). With a deft twist and pull, he pulled free the securing ribbon, allowing the amber hair to flow down around one side of her face and shoulder.

He gently reached for the other, but another hand shot up and caught his. A sleepy Tenten looked up blearily at Neji. "Why did you do that?"

"I've never seen you with your hair down…"

Tenten smiled and with a sleepy, "oh", she fell back asleep on her arms, releasing her grip on Neji's hand. Neji smiled to himself as he reached for the second bun, and getly, not to disturb her, loosened it. _…Wow…she…looks so…like an actual girl now…_

Even sleeping with her head down on one side, Neji could already see her beauty. He reached out and carefully touched Tenten's cheek. She moved slightly at his touch. He then cupped her cheek with his palm, reveling in the soft warmth of her smooth skin. Tenten mumbled and suddenly shifted position, now sleeping on Neji's hand. She smiled, nuzzling his hand, which caused him to both blush uncontrollably and yet feel elated at the same time.

_Ow…my finger…that was a very stupid move Neji, absolutely genius…YOU CARESSED HER FACE!_

Neji jerked up, and Tenten immediately jerked awake at his suddenly motion, and ended up falling off the stool she was sitting on. Neji smirked as he flung up the covers and leapt out of bed. Tenten lay on the ground, moaning.

"Urg…Neji…close the damn shades…I wanna sleep a bit more…"

Neji continued smirking as he did Tenten's will, darkening the room. He returned to the groggy Tenten, now with her hair down, and swept her off the floor. She, to his surprise, did not flinch nor protest, but rather cuddled up against him. He blushed. _Okay…I think I'm sick…why the hell am I feeling so hot? And why am I holding Tenten?_

Ignoring the bad thoughts, he placed her on his bed and tucked her in, pulling the covers up to her chin. He looked down at her. He suddenly felt drawn to her pretty face. He leaned down, staring at her. He was now completely enraptured by her still form, her long silky hair, and her full lips. Yes, those full red—

His mind screeched to a screaming halt. _WHAT THE FSCK AM I DOING? MUST REGAIN CONTROL OF BODY FROM HORMONES!_

But he was already under Tenten's spell. He was compelled to do what his primal instincts told him to do (A/N no my perverted readers, not that extreme…Neji wouldn't have the guts to do that...XD tenten wouldn't know what the hell he was asking...--; poor girl...).

His face was inches away from hers, then their noses were nearly touching. He could feel the warm flowery scent of her breath as she breathed calmly. He blinked stupidly. _Now what do I do? _

Then he remembered that neither he nor Tenten nor Lee had attended the Health classes or Sex Edu at the Academy. Neji knew enough, though, as Hiashi and some other Hyuuga seniors had "educated" him. He made a mental note to visit Hiashi-sama to finish his "lessons".

They had been absent, deciding to play hooky and train that day. Then he remembered what Tenten had told him; she was an orphan. _Then who taught her about her body? …Bad thoughts coming…must…block!_

Next, he thought about Lee. Would Lee know more than him? Neji shook his head, nearly rubbing noses with Tenten. _Nah, Lee would never know anything like that…social and love life…bah, who needs it?_

He did not realize that anything remotely tied to kissing or hugging or other PDA's constituted "love life". Poor Neji, he's much more innocent than anyone believes. Even Lee knows more.

_No, of course I know more than Lee…how boys should interact with girls which they have special bonds with…Lee does not know anything I don't…

* * *

_

Lee looked at Hitomi. She looked at him expectedly. Lee began processing through his mind the lessons Gai had given him about social and love lives. _Hmm…she is looking at me as though she likes me and is expecting something from me…let's see if I remember…choice A…kiss her…Choice B…hug her…Choice C Buy her lunch…Choice D…something that ended with "ex" but I forgot what it was…and Choice E all of the above…hmmm…I'll do all of the above, except D because I don't know what it is._

He had been thinking for a while when Hitomi turned away from him. She suddenly appeared upset. Lee quickly walked around her, to look at her face, which held a sorrowful expression, almost breaking Lee's heart.

"Hitomi-chan…what is the matter? You suddenly lost your youthfulness…"

"I'm sorry, just…I was thinking…you are probably the first friend I ever had…so far there were only two people who treated me this way…a good friend and mentor of mine back in Hidden Rain, and you…" A small tear trickled down her cheek.

Lee knew he had to act quickly. He had to make her happy again. IT was his duty! His code, he must uphold.

_I will make her feel better! Or else I will do a 1,000 laps around Konoha!_

He chose B because it was the fastest and most secure. Hitomi didn't resist, as Lee wrapped his powerful arms around here, holding her tightly. She leaned onto him, her knees buckling.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes…Lee-san, thank you again…" She mumbled into his shoulder. Lee smiled. _I don't think I have as much experience in matters of love like my rival, Neji! But I will do my best!

* * *

_

Neji sneezed loudly, drawing a worried glance from Tenten.

"Are you alright? You seem cold…" She moved closer to him.

Neji instinctively shifted away from her arms, which had begun to rise, but then fell limply as moved away. Neji smacked himself for the stupid motion, as he viewed the pained look on Tenten's face.

He felt rather guilty as he sidled back cautiously next to Tenten, who sat down on the bed. He took a seat beside her. "Tenten, are you all right? You seem…disturbed."

Tenten's frantic eyes looked up at him and she began stuttering like a twelve-year old Hinata. Neji cocked an eyebrow in surprise. _What the hell is she babbling about? She's freaking out…not very Tenten-like…_

He smirked and silenced her by placing two fingers on her lips. Tenten abruptly shut up, froze and turned into a cute chibified tomato. She stared cross-eyed at his fingers, surprised at his touch.

Neji was not happy, not happy at all. He had done it again. He had let his primal instincts take control of him again. _Her lips are soft…and warm…and MY FSCKING HORMONES DESERVE TO DIE! DAMN YOU HORMONES HOW DARE YOU TOUCH TENTEN LIKE THAT!_

"Mmhp Nedi?"

But then again, this was slightly satisfying. He smiled at her, amused by her flushed face. She appeared even cuter, probably due to the fact she appeared so confused and vulnerable. He wondered…how would she react, if he dared…to…

He leaned forward, towards her face. She sat there, looking into his pale eyes unblinkingly, completely hypnotized. Suddenly, as Neji's face neared hers, she closed her eyes, and leaned forward as well. Their lips were just a hair's breadth away.

Tenten felt as though she was dreaming. She was about to be kissed, again, by the Hyuuga Neji. Any girl would die to be in such a position. She tilted her head slightly, adjusting the angle of the kiss (she had been trained well by Ino and Sakura).

The door of the room opened, "Neji, I do hope you are feeling better…and Tenten-san, I thank—"

Hiashi stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at the two. Neji's eyes flashed opene and he whipped his head around to look at Hiashi in fright. Hiashi stared. And then to Neji's surprise, he turned red. Hiashi bowed deeply, and said, "I am sorry for my intrusion. Please continue."

And before Neji could say anything, Hiashi strode out of the room, rather stiffly at that. He turned to Tenten, who had been lost in her little world of fantasies. She hadn't noticed Hiashi's entrance, and when he turned, she ended up kissing him on the lips (A/N Neji is now 0o0…). Neji was quickly alarmed, but he calmed down, he began to enjoy the warm, tingling sensation. And Tenten was just…so…Neji didn't know, just irresistible. She was cute, and very warm. And he loved the feel of her lips against his.

Then he thought it over as they continued mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and realized that he wasn't trying to get her to fall in love with him. Or was she she already enraptured by him? Well, he knew he had already fallen for her. But he needed to protect her, as she was currently the most valuable thing he had; as Naruto would put it, his "precious person". Thus he couldn't let her love him.

Reluctantly, he forced himself to pull away from her. Or at least tried, but she had wrapped her arms around his neck.

_Oh shit…not again! …Well, it can't be that bad…I can still protect her…somehow…_

They then fell over onto the bed, no longer kissing, but just holding each other, afraid to let go. Neji smiled at Tenten, as he held her head against his neck.

Tenten was so happy, that she was about to cry. In fact, she did start crying, startling Neji, who wasn't very adept with girls, s he thought he had done something wrong.

She merely made a muffled laugh against his chest as she continued to embrace him. The two were finally at peace with the world. Unfortunately, good things never last long…

* * *

Hinata stood cautiously outside Neji's room. Cautiously, she opened the door.

_I wonder if Tnetne and Neji are all right...?_

She immediately froze at the sight. Neji appeared to be making out with Tenten on the bed.

"N-N-N-N-NEJI-NIISAN! HOWCOULD YOU?"

The interruption drew several loud and rude remarks from the pair on the bed as they quicky;l attempted to disentangle themselves with some dignity.

* * *

Shigeki stood atop an inn, gazing down at the city milling about him. Looking through his hunter-nin mask, he scanned the milling crowds below for signs of his quarry. Positioned around the city were his men. They were tracking their prey in the capital of lightning Country. Many of the people there had never heard of shinobi, let alone seen one, so they had been met with much curiosity, much to his annoyance.

_I can't believe these people…bloody wars have been fought with ninjas for centuries…how dense could they be?_

He gritted his teeth behind the mask as a group of little school children spied him and started jumping up and down excitedly, pointing at him. _Fsck…damn kids…_

He quickly sped away, to the awe of the children, who starting screaming as they attempting to follow him from below as the hunter-nin dashed from building to building. People were beginning to notice the cloaked man sailing across the skyline.

Quickly, he performed a quick jutsu and created a double of himself, which sprang in another direction, as he quickly hid behind a smokestack. When he heard the children voices become drowned out by the sounds of the city, he continued his search.

Suddenly, he caught a view of what appeared to be a strange girl. She was a wearing a loose black shirt. _With what appears to be the Kotone crest imprinted on the back…looks like we've found "Kite"…and now we know it's a she…_

Reaching to his mask, he tapped the side of it lightly, and he heard static, as his communicator came to life. Shigeki heard several of his teammates called in, and he whispered that he had found their target.

"Proceeding to track…I need everyone to help keep an eye on her….yes," he smirked, "It is a girl."

An hour later, the hunter-nins had followed and trapped the girl in a deserted park.

"Girl, why do you bear the mark of the Kotone?"

"The what?" The girl looked at Shigeki curiously, though her fear was given away by the fact that she kept shooting nervous glances at the members of his group around her. She seemed to be a pretty girl, though her long messy hair covered overshadowed her eyes.

"Are you the Kotone survivor who has been leaving scrolls bearing the mark of the Kotone Clan?"

"I don't even know what you're talking about!" she almost yelled in a panic. "W-What do you people want with me? I swear, I didn't do anything!" Tears were starting to form in her eyes. Shigeki was feeling very guilty indeed, as he had never intended on upsetting girls.

"Now mam, calm down, we are only looking for a criminal. We're just asking questions…"

Shigeki didn't feel the need to upset any young schoolgirls, so he quickly apologized and he and his men disappeared in puffs of smoke.

Atop a building, Shigeki watched as the girl hurriedly ran back into the depths of the bustling city. _Where is this "Kite"?_

_

* * *

_

Somewhere in Lightning Country...

The large group Cloud Shinobi and the Rain Shinobi formed a circle around a hooded figure.

"Are you of the Kotone Clan? ANSWER ME!"

The cloaked figure stood there silently, unmoving.

"Well? Do we have to extract it out of you? Are you, or are you not, the survivor of the Kotone Clan?"

The hooded figure looked up, revealing a smooth chin and mouth.

The shinobi squad leaders glanced at him. _Looks like a child…_

"Remove your hood, or I will remove your head…"

The mouth curved upwards in a small smile. The figure then spoke for the first time. "I'm sorry, but I have a disease which has mutilated the upper part of my face…you would have nightmares from looking at it…anyone, I am going to be late to my appointment. If you shinobi do not remove yourselves from my path, I may have to use force myself…"

The figure's voice was suddenly cold and commanding. He took off the cloak and hood, revealing a young man with long dark hair, black with some occasional brown streaks and on the tips of his bangs. He was wearing a dark-grey T-shirt over a black pleated turtleneck, with long black pants to match. In fact he was dressed in almost entirely black. He was wearing black fingerless gloves with silver plates atop the hand. But he had a crimson, blood red headband, with a symbol of what appeared to be the sun.

Before they could get good look at his eyes, a pair of sunglasses suddenly appeared over his eyes. He smirked. "Very well, if you want a fight, then I shall give you one…" He smiled and pulled out a headband, tying his long hair up in a ponytail.

Only twenty seconds later, the youth was standing amid a clearing of blood and corpses. The environment around them was unchanged, save the fact that almost everything had been drenched in blood. But each of the corpses had only one clean-cut, signaling the efficiency of its killer. They depicted a merciful killer, as all of the cut were instant kills, painless and efficient. There were two survivors; two young, very shell-shocked kunoichis. They had only become Chuunin recently.

One, the older of the two with dark brunette hair was just staring away into the mist blankly, her mask hanging off by a single leather binding. The other, the younger one, was trembling, hugging her knees to her chest plate as she whimpered softly, her strands of bloodied blonde hair falling around her shoulders. Both were covered by some mixture of blood and earth, and they remained silent, save the light whispers of the blonde.

The young man knelt beside the blonde girl, whispering softly, "Miss, are you all right? I am sorry about your comrades, but they left me no choice…"

The kunoichi looked at the man, "W-Why didn't you k-kill us?"

The man stared blankly for second before replying sheepishly, "W-Well…um…I-I j-just can't really b-bring myself to h-hurt girls for some r-reason…"

He started to wring his hands in an embarrassed manner. The older kunochi stared at him. "So you spared us just because we were girls? I would prefer to die, than to be treated like this!" she huffed indignantly.

The young man flinched, startled. Shyly, he answered, "It's not that I look down on any of you, it's just how I feel about…um…well, you want me to kill you now, would you?"

The blonde kunoichi looked at him fearfully and replied cautiously, "T-Then what are you going to do with us?"

"Probably molest us, before killing us! Note that he only spares girls!"

The young man shook his head furiously, and the girl could've have sworn they saw him blush, "No, you've got it all wrong, I just refuse to hurt girls…it's kinda like part of my warrior's code…just much more emphasized than others…"

He smiled kindly at the two kunoichi. The brunette glared back at him defiantly. The boy smiled nervously backat her. Apparently he wasn't used to girls.

"And who the hell do you think you are? You just killed off our friends, and you spare us and pretend to be nice to us? Why is that?"

He leaned in close to her, "Well, why not?"

He looked her in the eyes, and gently, reached forward, to remove the dangling hunter-nin mask. The girl stood there, shocked, freezing up at his touch. He gently removed the mask and placed it in her hands, and reaching out with a handkerchief, wipe the blood away from her face. The brunette blinked, confused.

The man repeated same thing with the younger kunoichi, and when he finished, he gave her friendly smile.

"Your mask…" he placed the blonde's mask in her hands as well as her weapons. He also collected the weapons of the brunette and handed them to her. The blonde girl was still looking rather fearful, as though this was trick, and that he would kill them anyways. He reached into a his pant pocket. "Are you thirsty? Here…some water…"

The blonde kunoichi looked at the brunette, who frowned at the flask, but then nodded. The blonded took the flask with a small "Thank you, niisan…" and drank in small sips.

"Well, you're free to go, just please tell your kages to stay out of my way, okay? I'll see you two ladies around then…"

With a cordial wave, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The two shinobi looked at each other in confusion. "Was that a boy or a girl?" she asked, wrinkling her nose in annoyance.

The blonde shinobi shrugged nervously. "Well…I'm pretty sure he's a boy…I think he's…kinda cute…"

The other shinobi blanched.

* * *

Usaga looked at Hiashi, his gaze piercing and angry.

"What exactly happened? One moment, Neji has disabled Hisui, but then Hisui does one hand seal and Neji is defeated? What is this mockery? Or is Hyuuga Neji overestimated by us all?"

"Hisui used the curse seal…he activated the curse seal, which allows him to inflict any amount of pain he wishes to any Side Branch member in the vicinity, and he can also kill them with a mere thought…"

"So your Neji was not as all-powerful as my people had heard…then Hitomi shall marry Hisui, in he recovers to his fullest potential…if not, then Hitomi will still be wed to Neji…"

"Hisui will be fine. The girl is the famed Weapons Mistress of Fire Country…a close friend of Neji's and a former cellmate of his…I sure you heard of her…"

"No, not really…"

Hiashi frowned as he looked out the ornate window. "That is an inconvenience…she is very skilled a kunoichi…possibly, rivaling you Hitomi?"

"This…'Weapons Mistress', she is jounin and eighteen as well?"

Hiashi nodded, keeping his back to Lord Usaga.

"Hmmm…interesting…Hitomi is ranked one of the top kunoichis on this continent…"

"That is because Tenten-can prefers to keep a low profile, and has asked specifically to keep a low profile. But even so, she made it as a jounin at the age of eighteen—"

"Hitomi was ranked as jounin by fourteen…"

Hiashi grimaced. Behind him, the Usaga was smiling confidently, much to his annoyance. "Well tell me…have you heard of a Konoha kunoichi called'Blade'?"

"Yes, her exploits, started two years ago, were quite impressive, almost legendary…"

"Well, few people know this, but Tenten is 'Blade'…I overheard her talking to herself…I haven't told Neji yet..."

Neji and Hisui both would spend the restday being attended to by medic nins (and Tenten XD).

* * *

The next morning, Shizune looked through the mission files. _Hmmm…a B-ranked bodyguard mission…I'll give this to a couple of the Chuunins…_

She turned on her computer and scanned through the list of Konoha shinobi.

…_Hmmm…most of them are already on some missions…but…the new Jounin is free…I guess I'll give it to him…_

She smiled as she printed out the mission forms. The new jounin, an ANBU, was pretty cute. But shy…

The new ANBU stood at Shizune's desk, his face hidden by the mask. He was rather young, with long black-brown hair tied back in a swishing ponytail. He was also wearing a thick black trenchcoat.

"ANBU…you are assigned a B-rank mission. I understand that you should be assigned higher ranked missions, but take this as sort of practice! Okay? The other Chuunin were busy, and there weren't any A-ranked missions for you. I just thought that you, being new, might want to get some missions experience in."

The ANBU nodded in acknowledgement, just as Hyuuga Neji walked into the room. "Shizune, you said you had a mission for me?"

Shizune noted with surprised that the ANBU's attention seemed to immediately be focused on the young Hyuuga

"Oh yeah!" she smiled happily at him, "Here is the profile! It is another B-ranked bodyguard mission."

Neji looked at it. "My mission is to guard a merchant by the name of Haori Togu…from the Land of the Waves…"

The ANBU looked at his paper. "Really? My mission is also to guard a Wave merchant! Haori Tokuga! They must be related!"

Neji carefully examined the ANBU. _Seems pretty immature to be an ANBU…about my age, and he sounds like a girl…hn…I'd better not be stuck with him…_

"I guess you two will be working together then! I just noticed that the two merchant brothers passed in separate protection requests!"

Neji, if he was any other hot-blooded youth, would've swore loudly, but he was Neji, so he didn't do anything, other than nod at the ANBU, who he was sure was smirking at him. _The only person I'd want to work with…would be Tenten…maybe Gai or Lee…but Tenten first…_

Lee burst into the room. "SHIZUNE-KUN! MY DEAR FLOWER OF BEAUTITIFUL YOUTH! WHAT TASK MAY I FULFILL TO PLEASE YOU SO?" Neji immediately ate his words.

Shizune reflected his excitement, as she joyfully assigned him a mission.

Neji nearly died when she said the words, "Another Wave merchant, it's like déjà vu! Haori Itai!"

Neji was about to faint. He was stuck with a girly ANBU (he never heard of making anyone a girly ANBU) and Lee. _…Looks like I'm eating my words again…dammit…_

Neji turned to leave, when Shizune jumped up and sang to all of them, "Be in Wave by tomorrow night! And Neji-kun! Nice job with the duels!"

Neji's eye started to twitch uncontrollably. He quickly left before he broke down and started killing people. He had become rather found of Shizune; her personality reminded him somewhat of Tenten. It would be a pity if he killed her by accident.

Neji walked through the streets of Konoha once again. He knew he'd have to leave again soon, so he wanted to say good-bye to a certain someone.

"Neji-kun…"

He turned around slowly, and to his delight, found a smiling and blushing Tenten. He smiled slightly at her voice. Neji's current desire was to hug her, but he managed to suppress the thought.

"Um…I heard you were going out on a mission…well, just here to say, good luck! Come back safely…"

Neji smirked. "You know no one can beat me…"

Tenten laughed, "You are such an egotist…"

Tenten waved and turned around to leave, but Neji placed his hand firmly on her shoulder, preventing her from doing so.

"Um, yes Neji?" she looked at him, then down at her feet, acting strangely demure.

"You used 'kun'…why?"

Tenten looked up, flabbergasted, "I-I w-was j-just…I-I m-mean, um, y-you… me. W-Well I-it's like t-this…" Neji frowned. She was definitely hyperventilating.

He then smiled at her and cut her off, saying, "Tenten, it was a joke, I don't mind you using 'kun'. Actually, I heard that you were assigned a mission?"

"Y-Yes…well, I have to go on it now…"

Neji then realized that she was carrying her backpack as well as all of her weapons pouches and scrolls. "Oh…I see…"

Tenten giggled a little and turned away.

"Well, good luck to you, Tenten…I expect to see you when I come back from my mission…just want you to know…" He paused, hesitating, and continued, "T-That you mean a l-lot to me…yes…that's it…"

She stared at him with a confused expression. But then broke out into a large smile which anyone and everyone would describe as "kawaii". Neji flushed a bit, startling some nearby bystanders. No one had ever seen Neji like this before (except for Tenten of course, and sometimes Hinata).

"Thanks Neji, you don't how much it means to hear that coming from you…"

She smiled to herself, his words spreading a tingling sensation through her body up to her fingertips. She just had to hug him now. But she didn't. Instead, she quickly straightened up and walked away.

Neji stood there. Beneath his stone-cold façade, his mental mechanisms were trying to figure what the hell had just aspired. He bit his lip as he began walking back to the Estates.

* * *

Neji sprinted through the canopy of the forest, along the way to the Land of the Waves. Behind him was that screwed-up ANBU newbie, and a grinning Lee. Lee was happy for some strange reason. Neji frowned as he crossed a 20-meter gap with a single leap.

_Then again, he is always happy…_ He leapt and bounded towards a tree and kick-jumped away from the tree, spinning through the narrow crack formed by two waist-thick engulfing branches. Behind him, he heard a loud crunching noise. Neji assumed Lee had destroyed the natural barrier. _…He still needs to be more subtle…_

The crashing of what was left of the branches striking others confirmed the action. Neji frowned. _Idiot…

* * *

_

Hinata stood at Shizune's desk. "Shizune-sama, You have requested me?"

"Yes, sudden, there's been an dramatic increase in the number of bodyguard requests. You have one of them. With you, you will have," Shizune smiled happily, "NARUTO!"

"YES SHIZUNE-CHAN?" Naruto bowled into the room and nearly crashed into Hinata, who smiled shyly at him. Shizune grinned happily. How she loved playing matchmaker. _These two are such a KAWAII couple!_

Ton-ton, reading her mind, snorted from somewhere beneath her desk.

"Hey Hinata-chan! What's up? For letting me stay at your place."

Shizune looked at Naruto. "How'd you know I needed you?"

Naruto grinned confidently and boasted, "I always know when and where I'm needed!"

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the gates of the Konoha Shinobi Headquarters (that's where Shizune, Naruto, and Hinata are). A crowd of angry looking old men were waving pitchforks and sticks as they ran around screaming and scaring the hell out of innocent bystanders.

"WHERE IS THAT KYUUBI BRAT?"

"I'M GONNA TEAR THAT DEMON APART WHEN I FIND HIM!"

* * *

Naruto laughed nervously as they listened to the random rantings of the old men outside the gates. _I needed a place to hide..._

Shizune, furious, leaned out the window and screamed ferociously at the mob.

"IF ANYONE YOU PEDOPHILES OUT THERE SCREAM ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH 'DEMON BOYS' OR 'KYUUBI' I'M GONNA COME OUT THERE AND CASTRATE THE LOT OF YOU! THEN I'LL HAND YOU CARCASSES OVER TO JIRAIYA AND TSUNADE, WHERE YOU'LL RECEIVE CAPITAL PUNISHMENT!"

In an instant, everyone shut up. The wind could be heard whistling through the orchard trees.

"S-Shizune-sama…I-I never knew you could be so c-commanding."

Instantly Shizune's face lit up as she slammed the windows shut and sat back at her desk. "Of course, why they're just a bunch of cowards out there." She winked at Naruto as she handed the two of them mission files. Hinata was stunned (A/N note she nor anyone of the gennin nine know that Naruto is the kyuubi vessel…they just think of it as a manner of swearing and insulting someone…)

"As I was saying…we seemed to be getting many bodyguard requests lately. Recently, it's been quite peaceful between the countries, so there were only a couple of reconnaissance missions. But now there are more of missions like these. Of course, the employers are paying well, so it's worth it. We're getting more money from theses missions than the Fire Lord gives Tsunade-kage."

"Don't worry, me and Hinata-kun will take care of everything!" Naruto wrapped his arms around Hinata's shoulders and gave her a playful squeeze. Hinata was frozen solid. _H-He's doing it again! Does h-he actually like me that much?_

Meanwhile Shizune was grinning in victory. _YES! SCORE ONE FOR THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPION OF KONOHA MATCHMAKING!_

Hinata smiled, as she became used to the reassuring weight of Nauto's hands on her shoulder. Demurely, she looked at him. Naruto happened to be in the middle of flashing his pearly whites at Shizune, who had conveniently put on a pair of sunglasses.

"Ok lovebirds, now for your mission briefing!"

Naruto smirked at the word "lovebirds", while Hinata nearly fainted form happiness.

* * *

Neji the next day, they neared the land of the waves, passing through several of the many island bridges. When they arrived, they found a bustling port of commerce and trade. It was larger, even more grandeur, than Konoha. Neji snorted as they surveyed the city with their eyes.

"Shit, it's huge…" muttered the ANBU. Neji shot him a strange look.

"What, not used to the city life?"

"Are you?"

"Not really, but it can't be that much harder…"

Lee just stood there with a silly grin on his face.

"Okay people, let's get down from here and see if we can get in…"

At the entrance, the were met by a massive, ornate gate, with the kanji for "wave" written in calligraphy form on a large white wood board and plastered on the front of the massive steel-cast gates.

People with carts and trucks moved in and out of the city. The rumbling of a bulldozer nearby marked the fact that they were still expanding the city. The three-man cell stood by the side of the road, watching in amazement at the amount of people..

"Very different from what I had heard from Naruto…but I guess that's to be expected…"

The three shinobis stood silent as passersby gave them excited glances. Neji was wishing he was in ANBU, with a mask to hide behind. Maybe…if he activated his Byakugan…these people might get away from them. He quickly scratched that idea for certain reasons.

"Er…so now what? We go through the front gate, or we sneak in?"

Lee flashed a blinding smile. "Wave is not an hostile land! In through the front gates we go!" He disappeared into the stream of people. Neji and the ANBU glanced at each other, and then followed suite.

At the gates, the three were stopped by a group of well-armed but jolly guards, who greeted them with shoulder firearms and grinning salutes. Neji smirked as he waved to them and took out his ID and travel papers. Lee and the ANBU did the same. But the guards waved them off.

"Don't worry, who all know you crazy Konoha Ninjas! Come on right in, it's always an honor to meet one…! Especially…" The guards eyes darted to the masked face of the ANBU, "One of the legendary Konoha signature ANBU!"

Neji smiled and nodded as they walked into the city.

Lee looked at the food stands, which were selling a large assortment of food; ranging from bento boxes to sushi to ramen.

"It's about four, and we skipped lunch…Yes I feel kinda hungry too…"

Neji pulled out his sleek black wallet as they walked over to a sushi stand.

* * *

Several minutes later, they were walking through the crowds eating from boxes of sushi.

"Mmm…tomago…mph mph!" Lee noisily stuffed some egg sushi down his throat, while Neji nibbled at his sashimi.

"Neji, you're a man! Now act like one!"

Neji was about to make an obscene gesture at Lee, but decided not to ruin his public reputation. He just stuffed the rest of the sushi in his mouth and swallowed, savoring the taste. Yes, Neji was starting to enjoy life for some reason. Even with the damn curse. He had Hiashi on his side, so everything should be fine. Though he'd feel just tiny bit better, if he was able to watch over wherever Tenten was going.

He grimaced as he picked up another sushi. People were staring at his eyes, muttering excitedly. He thought with amusement, _so, they weren't joking when they told me that my reputation had exceeded me…or maybe just my clan's?_

Lee grinned as he tossed his empty lunch box in to a nearby trashcan. In a flash, he disappeared, drawing a loud gasp from everyone in the vicinity. Neji and the ANBU just continued walking on. Neji could Lee leaping with joy around the roofs of the Wave village. And then Lee disappeared behind the tall frames of two office buildings in the distance.

Both Neji and the ANBU muttered unconsciously, "Freak…"

"Let's find a hotel to stay at…I think we're a tad early…"

Neji nodded. "I'll find a hotel…you can do some shopping for supplies if you want…"

* * *

The sun was starting to set, as Hinata and a still energy-filled Naruto bounded into the Land of the Waves.

"W-We're finally here…I'm so tired." Hinata closed her eyes groggily as she trudged morosely behind Naruto, who turned to look at her in concern.

"Want me to carry you?"

"N-No thank you," stuttered Hinata, jerking her head up in attention. Naruto grinned at her.

"Don't worry, I'll carry you anyways if you fall asleep on me."

"I'm sorry, but I just don't have Neji-niisan's stamina…" sighed Hinata.

"That's okay. You're still a really strong shinobi anyways!"

Hinata smiled, blushing slightly, as the couple neared the gate. The were greeted again by the grinning guards, who waved them in. Two greeted Naruto with "Haven't seen you in a while," and "Old man Tazuna'll look forward to seeing you kid!"

Hinata looked at Naruto. "You have been here before?"

"Oh yeah, on one of our first mission, with Sakura and Sasuke…that bastard…" it was Naruto's turn to sigh. "Long story though. Funnily enough, he tried to sacrifice himself to save me. But he's changed so much now. Hell, we don't even know where he is."

Hinata found herself placing a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder as they walked into the ever-busy city.

Naruto smiled at her, "Well, looks like the town is doing fine, I mean, I think it's even larger than Konoha! Even at night, it seems to be so busy."

He stared down the crowded streets where carts and horses traveled on by and fro. Shops and streets vendors were opened up everywhere, and the two could see lights for miles and miles.

"Beautiful, this city, isn't it Hinata-chan?"

She nodded.

Naruto looked at the young girl beside him. She seemed rather happy. And he loved it when she smiled. "Y'know Hinata, you're cute when you smile."

She instantly changed a shade of pink, followed by a red. Laughing, Naruto was about to wrap his left arm around her shoulders…

"I see you two have arrived…a bit late, but I guess no large deviations from schedule."

Naruto leapt several meters into the air and nearly screamed like a girl. Hinata merely turned and around and hugged the shadowy figure, calling out happily.

"Waaah! Neji-niisan! I didn't know you were on a mission to Wave!"

Neji stepped out of the shadows of a newsstand, with Hinata hugging his arm. He was smirking at Naruto, as he tousled Hinata's hair.

Naruto was about to snap and attack Neji. "NEJI YOU FREAK! CAN'T YOU STOP SNEAKING UP ON PEOPLE?"

"You're a Chuunin, get used to it."

"YOU EGOTISTICAL—"

Neji sighed. _Why does every one call me an egotist? And Naruto of all people? Since when did he learn large words like that?_

"IDIOTIC—"

THWACK. Naruto slumped over Neji shoulder after being knocked out by a deft whack. "Sorry Naruto, but people are starting to stare. Come, Hinata-sama, I found a decent hotel with some…reasonable rates…"

Hinata nodded, still a little startled. As they turned to turn towards the direction the hotel, they were stopped by aloud,commanding voice.

"HEY, HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

Neji stopped in his tracks, knees bentalong with Hinata, as they were about to leapt up into the rafters.

_Byakugan!_

Neji saw that it was an old man with glasses and grandfatherly air, with what appeared to be a grinning elementary schooler with messy black hair. The old man had several uniformed people around him. Neji assumed he was a government official in Wave.

"Oi, Tazuna! Old Man! What's up!"

Naruto appeared between Neji and Tazuna with a blast of smoke. Neji snorted in annoyance and tossed the log he was holding over his shoulder. Hinata smiled, closing her eyes.

Naruto grinned at the boy, who was now as tall as his neck.

"Wow, Inari, you've grown…a hell lot. You're almost as tall as I am!"

The boys grandfather chuckled, "Naruto, he's been training himself, because he wants to be a hero just like you."

Neji stifled another snort of amazement, as he watched Hinata's face take dream-like expression. He tapped her lightly on the head with two fingers, snapping her out of her reverie.

Naruto grinned and struck a pose, somewhat like Lee and Gai's mighty guy. Unfortunately for Neji's mental health, Lee appeared beside Naruto in a blast of smoke and did his own pose, blinding several innocent bystanders.

"Hey, fuzzy-brow, what's up? You must be with Neji I see! This is a good friend of mine, Tazuna, and his grandson, Inari!"

Lee flashed another blinding grin and the man and introduced himself to the boy.

"Hey, I'm Rock Lee, the greatest Konoha martial artist!"

The boy stared at him as if he was a grown man in green spandex. Oh wait, he was.

The crowd just stared at the newcomer, as Naruto burst out laughing.

As the crowd began to circle around Naruto, Lee, Tazuna, and Inari, Neji and put a hand around Hinata's shoulders and guided her away.

"Come…let us find you a room."

As they headed away from the large gathering of people, Neji heard a shout, and they turned around. The old man was waving them to come back over to him. The crowd parted a passage to let the in. Neji hid a smirk, as he gently pushed Hinata in front of him, causing her to let out a small yelp of shock.

When they were next to Naruto and Lee, the old man gave them a wizened smile.

"Hmmm…long dark hair…pearl-white pupils…you must be Hyuugas! It's an honor to meet such renowned ninjas!"

Hinata nodded politely, and replied, "Um, thank you very much…but our clan—"

"Is the top-ranked clan in Konoha." Continued Neji, from the shadows behind Hinata. Hinata could easily picture her cousin smirking behind her back.

Tazuna looked at Neji's silhouetted figure with interest.

"Ah! You must be the famed Hyuuga Neji! Your skills as a ninja are famous! The fine young lady here must then be your cousin, Hyuuga Hinata, and heir to the Hyuuga name!"

Neji stepped halfway out of the shadows, keeping his face hidden in the dark. But Naruto and Lee could see that trademark smirk of his spread across his face, as he planted a protective hand on Hinata's shoulders.

The elder man's face broke into a large grin.

"Do you have a place to stay? If not, then you are welcome to stay at our mansion with Naruto! Any friend of Naruto is a friend of mine, as he's like another grandson!"

Hinata looked at Neji pleading, who, being the nice cousin he is, gave in and replied yes. Hinata beamed at him before being hauled away by a hyper-active Naruto boasting how many bowls of ramen he would down.

Neji stood in the shadows as he watched the people leave them.

I'll be training…then…and then I'll retire…to the hotel… 

End chp. 16

Neji: …that was…long…

Tenten: I thought it was cute!

Lee: THERE MUST BE MORE ACTION!

Shino: I have yet to appear…

Everyone looks at Shino

Shino: …

Lee: SHINO! MY BROTHER IN ARMS! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

Tenten: stop, I think you're scaring him.

Shino: …

Lee: Hmmm…he's just like Neji…

Temari appears and attempts to whack Shino with a stick. Shino explodes into a bunch of bugs.

Temari: Dammit! Why does this always happen when I try to hit him?

Tenten: Why are you trying to hit him?

Temari: Cuz the little four-eyed pervert saw me in the shower!

Everyone goes like 0.0

Neji: …Shino isn't a pervert…unlike—

Naruto: Hey guys! What's up?

Neji: …speak of the devil…

Tenten: XD

Naruto: What did I do?

Ok ppl my brain must now start thinking about hw…

Remember…LONG REVIEWS PLS XD makes me update quicker lol…well, the reviews need to be helpful XD


	17. Chp 17 Just Doing My Duty

Moonlighpath: hello cousin XD actually there were several major events, but I guess kite's appearance was a big one…kite vs neji would be interesting…I know I will do neji vs sasuke…must settle that online argument…who would win? Neji or sasuke?

Kodoku: XD FINALS! (screams and runs away)

Kaeru Soyokaze: ja neji and tenten perfect couple

Senjou: oh the children, do it for the children XD

Appleiam: …lol there are reasons for that as u will find out in this chapter

HikAri Aki: nice to know that u like it! …-- I am a boy…XD

Great Saiyaman: Kite! Lol yeah, I like to live by my own quote, which I made for my original work… "There is no such thing as black and white; there exist only shades of gray…" so no such thing as the completely evil bad guy lol…nor the perfect good guy…kite is actually from my original work, _Eternal Strife_ lol

Yeah, neji is trying to protect tenten by making sure they don't fall in love, which is kinda alrdy too late lol…he's trying to keep her from suffering the same fate as him and his father, both the curse and an untimely death…and of course sasuke will be in here lol sasusaku most likely

Japponess: ja I luv ur little tentenneji fic yay someone luvs my fic ! XD

Keito-kun: Cuz he's more mature now XD shino appears briefly, and gaara is yet to be seen lol

Manuca: whoa long review…YAY! They kissed yes they did lol…save the fact neji wasn't really in his right mind…and since commerce is booming, the multitudes of merchants want protection lol shizune the matchmaker hmmm…the cool guy eh? That's kite lol, he's one of my original characters…more explanation right after the review answers! Yes it was helpful

Ayuka-chan: nah, shino probably walked in on temari by accident

Hibiyuru: lol loooong chappie yes? glad u liked it with more naruto XD

Asura of Love: Lol tenten is blade…her secret identity :P sry there wasn't much action, but there cant always be so much action lol hmmm…the ANBU? Well, u'll just have to find out

Sarafu-chan: well, u should wait for when they are in their right minds…lol I think neji was feeling a bit…off-center today… "GIRLY ANBU" ROFLOL sry…and yes of course u should ph34r shizune XD who said tenten was stronger than neji? And whats wrong with tenten being strong? lol

Okay thanks to all reviewers

…hmmm…no one noticed hitomi didn't appear at all…XD

now about kite, which im sure u all are getting pretty intrigued by him…er…if anyone has spare time go R&R my original fic, Eternal Strife…its on fictionpress, and I use the same penname…I'd appreciate it if anyone did that…lol

oh yeah, i have finals this week so no more updates until next...sry guys T-T

**_Together Forever_**

**Chapter 17 Just Doing My Duty**

Tsunade sat at her desk, accompanied by all of the strongest and most important shinobis of Konoha. They formed a "U" with Tsunade's desk as the bottom most point of the curve. The center between the two parallels was a messenger from Hidden Cloud

"My Lord, the Great Kage of Hidden Cloud, asks that you give to him the Konoha ninjas who cowardly ambushed and attacked his men. He then asks that you also turn under his care three of your top kunoichis…"

Tsunade wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Why would I do that? None of my soldiers set foot in Lightning Country. In, fact, none of my shinobi have for the past two years! And what was that about the kunoichis? Is your 'almighty' master some sort of pedophile?"

Tsunade grinned, as she noted she had made Ibiki snort in amusement. She could see Anko opening and clenching her fists, a bloodthirsty look in her eyes. She was watching the messenger as a cat watches a mouse. Yes, she'd want blood, after the hearing the idiotic demands of Cloud.

"If you don't wish for war, then my master demands that you meet these obligations…"

"They're not _our_ obligations…as my shinobi did not kill any of your ninjas. You and you nins and simply not worth our time anymore."

Tsunade took satisfaction in watching the man shake in anger, though keeping his face emotionless. She gave him a polite smile, just to annoy him.

The messenger spun around stiffly and strode out of the room. All of the Jounins and Chuunins gathered there had their eyes on Tsunade, who smirked and leaned back in her seat. Actually, Kakashi had his perverted little graphic novels out again. This earned him a painful five-star by Anko, and then a backhand from Kurenai.

"Very well…_Hokage_-sama…I shall tell my master of your impudence. Its quite evident women should not be allowed to become kages…"

Before Tsunade could retort, Anko had grabbed a hold of the man was brutally beating him senseless. Tsunade noticed the evil smirks on the faces of Kakashi and Asuma as they watched the helpless messenger become a training dummy for Anko.

* * *

The hotel was rather extravagant, but Neji approved, as it was clean. Spotless, white, and very…refreshing. _Courtyard…good for meditating…_

Since Lee was staying at the old man's mansion with Naruto and Hinata, Neji would stay in a room with the ANBU. He sighed, exhausted from training. He had successfully wiped out some small nearby forests. He strode briskly through the halls though, never appearing tired, always the same, usual stoic expression that scared away men and attracted girls. Unfortunately Neji, he didn't know that most girls found his usual expression to be adorable. Well, he wouldn't see why he looked adorable anyways.

He stopped in front of room 143. _I believe this is the one…but…just in case…BYAKUGAN!_

Veins popped out of his temples as he activated his blood limit. A startled maid quickly tiptoed away and out of sight. Neji smirked. He saw that the ANBU was already asleep, but was actually sleeping with the mask on. He unlocked the door and entered the small but neat three-room flat. There was a kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom.

Yawning slightly, he walked into the bedroom. He swore softly.

"One bed? What the hell?"

But he was tired as hell, to exhausted to care, so he just stripped down to a black T-shirt and matching shorts and slipped into bed, almost immediately falling asleep.

Suddenly, the ANBU jumped up and clasped a hand to his mouth (or the area of the mask over the mouth). Unfortunately the mask didn't allow him to properly restrain his mouth, so he let out a short shriek of astonishment.

"What…are…you…doing…in…my…bed?"

"We rented this room together," said Neji drowsily, "Calm down, we're both—"

Wide-eyed, Neji immediately leapt out of bed and threw his ninja garbs on and streaked out the door, leaving behind a very confused ANBU.

Neji streaked across the roofs of the buildings in the sprawling city of Wave. _Dammit I need to check up on Hinata-sama and make sure no one tries anything with her!

* * *

_

Funnily enough, at that moment, Hinata and Naruto were sleeping in the same room. In the same bed. Arms wrapped tight around each other. (no they weren't doing anything dirty…not yet…hehehe).

* * *

Neji found Tazuna's mansion quite easily. Too easily. _Ohmigod…this is as large as the Main Branch Complex…_

He slipped past the guards, over the fence, and made it onto the driveway. Suddenly, lights flashed on, as alarms sounded. _Oh shit…motion and sound detectors…I should have known….stupid billionaires…_

By the time the guards had assembled at the front, Neji had already made it inside the mansion after scaling the side of the walls. Walking along the darkened walls, passing through streams of white moonlight.

He quickly leapt up and attached himself to the high ceiling with chakra, as several guards appeared at the end of the hallways, rapidly conversing in a state of panic.

He hid behind an arch as they ran by. After he made sure they were far enough to be unable to detect him, he slipped down from the ceiling.

After searching about 50 rooms, he found the guest wing. He was feeling really stupid for not figuring out the location of the guest wing in the first place. Tiptoeing into what he assumed was Hinata's room. _I believe that was her form on the bed…I pray…_

Nejislowly tiptoed over to her bed. He smiled caringly at her curled form, until he noticed she was hugging a darkened figure.

"Naruto…" he hissed, as he poked him in the side, "NARUTO! HOW DARE YOU DEFILE MY COUSIN!"

When Naruto didn't wake (neither did Hinata), Neji grabbed Naruto and attempted to haul him out of Hinata's arms. Hinata's vice grip proved to be stronger than Neji thought. His finger flew over to her arm, gently pressing a small pressure point, relaxing her arm.

He then dragged a still sleeping Naruto out of the room unceremoniously. At the door he came face-to-face with none other than the captain of the guard.

"SO YOU'RE THE ASSASSIN! RELEASE UZUMAKI-SAMA OR DIE!"

A vein popped out of Neji's forehead. He was getting really pissed.

* * *

About twenty seconds later, he strode past the broken bodies of the guards. 

Neji dragged Naruto's snoring carcass outside, only to be met by a cloaked figure. He was wielding what appeared to be a staff. Neji kept his face hidden in the shadow of the towering building behind him as he called out, "Who are you? And do you impede my path…?"

"Release Naruto-niisan!"

Neji nearly did a face fault, but caught himself in time.

"You are Inari, yes? What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Inari responded by throwing off the cloak and charging at Neji. _Well, for a non-ninja…he's pretty fast…_

Sighing, Neji slid Naruto off his back and stepped forward to meet Inari's attack. The boy brought the bo stick down, in an attempt to bash Neji on the head. Neji merely stepped to one side, letting the boy tumble pass him. But Inari caught himself and spun the staff around, whirling it around his waist to get another blow at Neji.

_Not bad, not bad at all…_

Neji leapt over the boy and landed on the other side of him. He smirked, the boy had predicted his move and had already started spinning his staff. This time Neji caught the staff with one hand, to the amazement of the boy. With a jerk, he sent the boy sprawling to the ground.

"You'll need to try harder than that. Your movements are rather uncoordinated, though I can see that you've been training; you're quite adept at reading and reacting…"

Inari snarled and charged at Neji, who danced to the side of Inari and dealt him a swift whack, save that Inari had brought his staff around and blocked the blow. Neji then turned the block to his advantage by grasping the staff and yanking it out of the boy's grasp. Inari immediately began attacking with his fists, striking in a strange pattern.

Neji tossed the stick aside, and he exchanged blows with the boy, though holding back most of his power, in fear of hurting the boy. But he found he didn't have to hold back on speed, as the boy was keeping up fairly easily.

Neji ducked a swing and gently rammed a palm into the boy's stomach, sending him once again tumbling into the dust. The boy got up huffing.

"I promised myself when Naruto-niisan left, that I would became as strong as he was! I won't let him down! I wanna be a great hero like him!"

Neji smirked again. _Naruto…tch you idiot, if you keep influencing kids we'll have a generation of ramen-loving perverts…but stubborn ones…_

Inari let out a battle cry as he hurled himself at Neji, spinning around in way only a ninja could, flailing his legs about to strike Neji in the chest. Neji danced backwards, knocking aside the blows with ease. He smiled inwardly, _I guess I should finish this…_

In a blinding motion, he lunged forward just as Inari thrust his fist at neji again. Neji grappled the arm and swung around Inari. Inari couldn't do a thing; he was terrified at Neji's instant burst of speed. The next thing he knew, he was lying facedown in the dirt, with the Hyuuga bo sitting on his back.

"I'll admit this…you're pretty good for you're age. Consider it an honor to have sparred with Hyuuga Neji, a Konoha Jounin…"

The mood of the moment was broken by a rather obtrusive burst of snores and grunts from Naruto, who start wriggling around and snorting. Neji and Inari stared at the Ramen-lover. (A/N Inari's going like 0.0, while Neji is - . -')

Neji got up and lifted Inari to his feet. They hadn't assigned him a team of genins, as he was still consider s newbie in the ranks of the Jounin, so he'd have time to train and kill.

"Inari, who taught you how to fight like that?"

"I taught myself…"

"Hn, would you consider becoming my temporary pupil?"

Inari's eyes widened. Was he for real? _The_ Hyuuga Neji, wanting to train him?

"Of course!" he blurted out.

Neji nodded with a feral grin as he started dragging Naruto away again.

"Um, Neji-sensei!"

"Hn?"

"What are you doing with Naruto?"

"Teaching…"

Neji left Inari with a blank expression on his face.

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he helped several men carry lumber back to the village. When he had arrived back several days ago, he had found the village under attack by several members of the Akatsuki. He was forced to blow his cover, and he wiped out the Akatsuki team mercilessly, to the profound amazement of the townspeople who were still alive. 

Fortunately, none of them had heard of him as a missing-nin yet, so his secret was safe. He just explained that he was a former shinobi trying lead a peaceful life. Actually in fact he was a mercenary, fighting for money. The townspeople had felt indebted towards him, and he had become quite popular. Sasuke grunted as he single-handedly lifted a gigantic piece of timber and carried it to the house they were making.

A quarter of the town had been destroyed, and along with it his house. Sweat dripped down a spike of black hair as he leap up with the wood onto the roof, earning a few whistles of admiration. _At least the girls aren't over here…_

He nearly fell off the roof when he heard the all-too familiar shriek of fangirls. He stumbled and practically tripped off the roof in search of his shirt. Heaven forbid he be caught by fangirl's without a shirt. The other men watched with a mixture of jealousy and pity as Sasuke streaked nervously from the construction site followed a by a group of fanatic girls.

* * *

The shinobireturned from his mission with little sign of joy, or elation, or any emotion on that note. As a shadow he slipped past the ANBU guards in the midst of the night. 

He was in the Konoha Shinobi HQ, reporting in for the completion of his mission. He walked up to the desk to hand in his report, and was greeted with a cheerful grin and an "Ohayo!" from Shizune.

"Shino-kun! Done with your mission already? Good job, as usual."

Shino nodded in acknowledgement as he accepted another manila folder from Shizune.

"Your next mission! You will accompany Lord Usaga back to Hidden Rain, along with several other chuunins and jounins, who will be sent when the get back from their respective missions. The mission is explained inside the file! Okay? Good!"

Shino nodded at the energetic assistant and friend of the Hokage. Few people ever saw his eyes, always hidden by those circular glasses of his. He now wore a trenchcoat, which covered his whole body, down to his feet, complete with a wide, nose-high collar. He rarely talked, having only talked with his former sensei, Kurenai, and Hinata as well.

"Oh yeah, the mission won't happen for a while, as Usaga will be staying at Konoha until he weds his daughter to a lucky bachelor."

Shino nodded.

"Would you like another mission?"

Shino nodded again.

Shino walked out of Konoha an hour later, heading away on his next mission already.

* * *

Neji sat in front of the pissed-looking Naruto. Neji wasn't looking all too happy either. 

"Do you know why you are here?"

"MHPHMHMHHPH!"

Neji had gagged his mouth. With a smirk, he ripped the sock ball out of Naruto's mouth.

"FSK YOU HYUUGA NEJI FSK YOU! I'M GONNA CASTRATE YOU SO YOU AND TENTEN WILL NEVER HAVE CHILDREN!"

Naruto went one too far, as Neji's left eye began twitching uncontrollably.

"What was that about Tenten-san and I?"

Naruto immediately realized his mistake and shut up. He didn't feel the urge to be decapitated by a PMS-ing Hyuuga Neji at 3 in the morning.

"…Let me make this clear to you…Tenten is my best friend…nothing more…"

"Is she a girl?"

"Are you insulting her feminity?" Neji glared at him, darting him to say yes.

"Uh…no, of course not. But she is your friend, and she is a girl, I think, so isn't she your girlfriend?"

Naruto's screams were drowned out by the war cries of one PMS-ing Hyuuga. At 3 in the morning on that note.

* * *

Tenten wandered through the forest, suppressing a yawn. She was looking for one Chuunin-level missing-nin. _He's dead the moment I find him…made me search the whole night…_

She failed and ended up yawning loudly, stretching her arms in exhaustion. She had been working all night, looking for the man. Another random thought hit her, as she remembered Neji kissing her. She pursed her lips. _A dream? But it felt so real…_

Then she remembered his last comment, complete with a loony smile.

"Tenten you are THE sexiest girl in town!" 

She slapped herself. Of course, he was high on medication, and suffering from blood loss. How could she take advantage of him like that? Oh wait, she grinned, he had been the one who kissed her. _My little secret…and blackmail…_

She instantly regretted letting her mind wander, as she found herself suddenly caught in a hidden net. She swore under her breathe as her legs dangled helplessly through the ropes under her. _Another reason why I'll never be as good as Neji…he too alert…I'm the opposite side of the spectrum…_

Her eyes flickered around through the thick darkness of the night. She just noticed how limited her visibility was. She heard some rustling below her, and the next thing she knew, she was in freefall.

She felt a pair of arms catch her, pinning her arms to her side. She winced as the rough hands threw her viciously to the ground. She let a small gasp and someone fell on her and held her down. She struggled, but the man's grip was too strong, and he put himself in a position where she couldn't kick him where it hurts most.

…_Oh great…just my day…first I'm not allowed to sleep….now I got blindsided by a chuunin asshole…and he doesn't shy about touching girls…oh no…_

Tenten still couldn't make out her assailant's face in the lack of light. The thick, five story tall trees completely blocked out the moonlight. But she could feel his repulsive breath on her face, causing her to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"So what have we here, eh? A pretty little girl, all alone and unprotected. And what's this?"

Tenten felt a finger touch her headband.

"A Konoha kunoichi eh? A very pretty one indeed, a good find!"

Tenten heard another bone-chilling laugh come out from the darkness. She then saw a pair of yellow eyes watching her from several meters away.

"Big brother…I bow to your hunting skills. A pretty find indeed."

"Of course…heheh, you can have her after I'm done…and then we can ransom what's left of her back to Konoha…"

_Brother? Damn, I didn't receive the proper information…again…assholes…I can't go like this!_

She squirmed desperately beneath him, but he was too strong.

"Little girl, I am an A-ranked missing-nin…my brother is a C-ranked…what are you? A Chuunin-level?"

Tenten cursed herself inwardly. _If only I wasn't so careless…why was I so weak?_

She closed her eyes, blinking back tears. She was feeling scared for the first time in her life. _No, not now…he wouldn't dare…would he?_

Suddenly, she began to make out the forms of the man pressing her down. _NOOO!_ The surge of emotion suddenly drew out something from the young girl, something that had been locked away since she was born. She let out a small gasp, as she could suddenly see in the dark. She blinked, taking in the visibility of the environment around her. Everything was suddenly so clear. She blinked again, and her eyesight changed, she could see the environments in shades of blue and red. _Heat-vision?_

Yes, the forms of the missing-nins were colored orange and red, as the surroundings were mostly blue, with a scattering of red blotches representing small animals. The man leered at her, and brought his face down to kiss her.

She smirked. The man had become careless. She opened her mouth to match the missing-nins.

Their lips met briefly, the man's eyes lighting up in enjoyment. A second later, he leapt up, coughing out steams of blood. He staggered backwards, rasping for air.

Tenten got up and brushed herself off.

"I am Tenten, the Weapons Mistress and a Jounin of Konoha. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE ME!"

The mood was broken as the missing-nin gagged, choked, barfed, and fell over dead. Tenten frowned. _Dammit, ass, you even ruined the mood..._

Tenten whirled on the other missing-nin, who cowered in fright.

"I-I s-swear I-I d-didn't have a-anything—"

He fainted as he saw Tenten's eyes glow a faint crimson, and then die away. Tenten shook her head, as she felt slightly dizzy. _Still_. She reached into her mouth and pulled out a set of mini-needles complete with mouth-held shooter. She smirked. "Gotta love these…"

She hummed happily as she began dragging one bloody carcass and one unconscious ninja out of the forest.

* * *

Hinata woke up in the morning to find herself hugging a human-sized pillow. She then released a hold of it and leapt out of bed, wondering where on earth Naruto was. Where did Naruto-kun go? …Maybe…he really doesn't like me… 

"No, I'm pretty sure he does."

Hinata cupped a hand to her mouth to prevent herself from screaming, as she looked up and saw her cousin hanging upside down from the ceiling. Naruto was currently secured to the ceiling as well.

"Ohmigod Neji-niisan! What did you do to Naruto-kun?"

"Don't worry, I didn't sterilize him yet, as I figured you both would want children eventually…"

Naruto was making muffled sounds, all the while glaring at Neji.

* * *

Neji slinked doggedly back into bed, just as the sun came out. He noted that the ANBU was still pretty much asleep. And the idiot was still wearing his stupid ANBU mask, which happened to be a wolf. Neji rolled to one side, away from the ANBU. He sighed. _When were we supposed to meet with the clients? ..I think the file said…_

He swore softly and picked himself up from the bed, groaning as his tired muscles sent shockwaves of pain up through his nerves. The ANBU didn't budge an inch. Neji leapt onto the bed and immediately kicked him off. He ANBU jumped up, kunais in hand. Neji sighed again.

"We have to meet with our client now…"

"Hyuuga…you look like hell…I noticed you went out for the night…you really should learn the concept of sleeping. It'll help you greatly in the future."

Neji snorted as he took off his outer robes and put on another clean set.

"Did I also mention that you smell?"

Neji glared at the ANBU, daring him to do something else.

"Oh, and there's something on your nose…"

Neji began to brainstorm creative ways of torturing the ANBU. All of which were quite brutal and gory. Several included sterilization. Neji smirked at the idea. _Heheh, Hiashi shouldn't have taught me about neutering animals…_

"Hyuuga, why are you so happy?"

Neji snapped out of his stupor and gave another glare to the masked shinobi before heading to the kitchen to fix breakfast. He changed his mind halfway there and went into the bathroom for a quick shower, deciding that food was not his first priority.

After a speedy two-minute shower, Neji streaked out of the bathroom and the hotel room. The ANBU had just started to make himself a cup of coffee, as he shook his masked head after the Hyuuga prodigy, his long pony-tail swishing behind him as he sipped the coffee gingerly.

* * *

Anko yawned lazily, relaxing upon the massive branches of an ancient oak. She was bored and sleepy. Unfortunately her pet—I mean—her animal partner, was making it difficult to lose consciousness. 

**Wake up Anko…tsk tsk…can't have a special jounin falling asleep eh?**

_I am off duty, leave me alone…_

**But I'm bored…and hungry. You said you would feed me this morning…**

_Bite me._

Anko let out an ear-piercing shriek as Mandra bit her on the bottom.

"YOU PIECE OF #&&$# I'M GONNA #&$&# NEUTER YOU AND #$#$#$&#$!"

"Um Anko? Is there something wrong? Are you okay?"

"YOU ASK ME IF I'M OKAY? HE BIT MY ASS!

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow, trying not to laugh at the enraged woman standing on the tree, clutching her rear end in visible agony.

"Er, who bit your ass?"

**Kukukukuku…hey, it's your lover-boy…**

"Anko, who are you talk—"

Kakashi suddenly found himself struck in the face with something long, thick, and green.

**Curse you Anko, curse you!**

_Your funeral…_

* * *

Neji waited by the large fountain in the center square, as the little kids passing him gave him wide-eye stares. The most annoying part was when a group of girls came along and walked past him. Well, more like gathered around him giggling excitedly and saying/waving hello in his face. 

He merely glared at them until they walked off looking sorely disappointed.

"Neji! You should be nicer to girls! They are fragile flowers of youth and beauty whose growth must be carefully guided and encouraged!"

"You already have a girlfriend?"

"NO, but I shall get one!" Neji made a cough that sounded suspiciously like "Hitomi".

Lee landed on the edge of the fountain, striking the super-guy pose and drawing the attention of half the square.

Neji reached up and yanked him down, slamming him against the cobblestones.

"Owww…mhp!"

"Quiet."

"Where's that ANBU guy you were sleeping with?"

"…that came out wrong, Lee…that came out very wrong."

Neji then turned, and to his shock, saw the ANBU standing next to him. Of course, being Hyuuga Neji, he didn't let that faze him. What he saw coming down one of the streets towards them scared him shitless.

Walking down towards them, was a giggling Hinata talking with a laughing Naruto. And Naruto's arm was wrapped around Hinata's waist. Neji's eye began twitching again. Instinctively, the ANBU and Lee quickly moved away from Neji before he could maul them in his blinded rampage. Naruto looked up, saw Neji, and quickly hid behind Hinata fearfully, as Neji strode over to them.

"Naruto?" he asked slowly. "Naruto?"

"H-Hey, Neji, my main man! Er, w-what's up?"

"Have you forgotten what we discussed last night?"

Neji glared at the trembling figure cowering behind Hinata, who was looking rather scared at Neji's expression as well. Neji's face softened as he looked at Hinata. He even gave her a slight smile with a "Good-morning to you, Hinata-sama."

Neji heard the ANBU snort behind him. _Ok, if that gay ass has any balls, I'm gonna castrate him…oh crap I'm turning into Naruto!

* * *

_

An hour later, they were on their way back to Konoha, with the merchant brothers in tow. Neji walked protectively by Hinata's side, smirking at the bandaged Naruto. The ANBU was also sporting a few bruises, though he acted as though nothing had happened. Neji stretched his arms and yawned, causing Hinata to look at him with concern.

"Neji-niisan…you didn't sleep again…you look really exhausted. You should rest."

"Hinata-sama," Neji looked at her with a slight smirk on his face, "Don't worry about me, worry about yourself. Well, you don't really have to, because that's why I'm here…" Their respective cells were placed in perimeters around the carriage carrying their clients. Neji and Hinata walked in front, while Naruto sat atop the carriage. The ANBU and Lee appeared from time to time, running around a set radius from the carriage.

Neji turned to Hinata. "Hinata-sama, I'm out on patrol for a bit, okay? Think you can take care of yourself while I'm gone?"

Hinata smiled cheerfully and nodded. Neji disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto smirked and leapt neatly beside Hinata, as the convoy continued along the dusty road. Naruto started chatting animatedly with Hinata, while the blur that were Neji, Lee, and the ANBU, blew by overhead occasionally jumping from tree to tree.

Neji leapt effortlessly from tree to tree, his Byakugan eyes searching the area around them, seeing all. Including Hinata and Naruto, which made his eye start twitching again. As much as he disliked it, he couldn't help but admit that the two fit together perfectly. He smirked a bit. _Any suitor of Hinata's has to defeat me in single one-on-one combat…hehe, Naruto is one-step ahead of all of these suitors Hiashi-sama would choose…_

He frowned at the thought. _Hmmm…now that I think about it…I recall, he said something about getting Hinata a suitable husband…_

His frown grew only larger when he spotted that ANBU, skimming the branches some several meters away. It was now he took the time to analyze the ANBU. _A bit clumsy for an ANUB, but not bad…seems about my age, heh…but then, I don't recall anyone of my class…having the skills…other than Lee…but Lee is obviously not the ANBU…Tenten is away on a different mission…_

The ANBU, he finally noticed, had a long ponytail. _Brown-haired…_

Neji watched the ANBU, studying his movements. _Well, in any case, he's not my level…yet…_

Suddenly, a shriek and a call for help stopped him, and he kick-jumped off a branch in front of him, reversing direction to streak back to the carriage.

* * *

Hinata let out a cry as she struck out, her slender hands snaking around the assailant's defenses, and sealing his chakra. With a spin kick, she sent the man flying several meters away, landing roughing at the base of a tree. She threw herself to the side as several kunai flew towards her, only narrowly missing her. She drew her own set of kunais and hurled them at the unseen enemy, being rewarded with a few cries of pain. 

She looked to the side, only to find Naruto having already dealt with the intruders on his side, the lot of them lying in a groaning pile of men. Naruto flashed her a foxy grin, which she returned. Her small moment of lax attention, nearly cost her life, as a katana came out of nowhere and would have decapitated her, if it wasn't for the Blue Beast of Konoha.

"Hinata-chan! You should not be so careless, lest you lose your light of youth! And you should stop worrying your cousin so much." Lee added that as an after thought, as he leisurely flipped the enemy nin on his back and proceed to do a mighty guy pose with his foot on the man's now-broken chest.

"You should listen to Lee this time Hinata…" Hinata felt Neji place his hand on her shoulder. "Nice work though…looks like training has paid off."

He clicked his tongue as he leapt away, disappearing into depths of the forest once again. Lee flashed both Naruto and Hinata a pair of blinding smile, before disappearing into thin air. Naruto walked over, and said, "Wow, Hinata, you're really amazing! You remind of Neji now!"

Hinata blushed deeply at the comment, and looked away shyly, just as the pair of merchant brothers poked their heads out.

"You guys already finished them off? Wow, you guys really were worth every penny…"

The other brother added, "We'll be sure to enlist your service often."

* * *

Kakashi sighed. He was in deep trouble once again. _I know they're somewhere, but where? If only I was more alert, I could have avoided contact ion the first place…I must not die!_

He hid behind a tree. His lone eye flickered about, searching every possible hiding place. A bead of sweat dropped down form the tip of one of his silver strands. He leapt higher in the tree, still searching frantically for any sign of his foes. _Dammit, I could've sworn I saw one of them somewhere here…_

He leapt to another tree silently. The fear was starting to get to him. What would they do to him if they caught him? He imagined all sorts of horrible torture methods. Kakashi shivered. _Must not let this get to my head!_

He shrieked as a fangirl popped up beside him and glomped him. He let out another scream of terror as he was dragged down the tree by a horde of cheering fangirls.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

* * *

Asuma looked at Kurenai. She looked at him, then at Gai sitting beside her. 

"Did you hear something? Or someone?"

Gai scratched his bowl-cut head. "Hmmm, sounded like my esteemed rival crying out in agony…maybe we should go check. No wait, I have to go on a mission now," He stood up and struck a pose, his pearly-whites glinting in the noon sun, "I'll be back!"

And with that, the Beast was gone in a blast of wind.

End chapter

Short chapter…lol

Review ppl, and remember, longer is better!

Tenten: …

Neji: …

Shino: …

Naruto: …

Everyone looks at Naruto strangely.

Naruto: What?

Tenten: …never mind…

Inari: Neji-sensei! I'm coming back to Konoha with you! My grandpa said I could!

Naruto: Neji-sensei?

Inari: He said he would train me!

Naruto: …NOOOOOOOO NOT ANOTHER NEJI WANNABE! NO INARI I WILL TAKE YOU UNDER MY WING INSTEAD!

Neji: Over my dead body (trademark smirk)

The boys start fighting.

Tenten: hmm…Inari…how about I show you the world of shinobi tools? I'm sure you will find them much more interesting than what these fools can offer you…(Neji and Naruto still duking it out in the background)…I have many spears and polearms that may interest you…

Inari: Pole arms? Suh-weeeet! Take me there, cutie!

Tenten: …please don't call me that…anyways, follow me (smiles and walks away)

One hour later. Neji and Naruto are laying beside each other, sweating and panting as though they had just ran for a week straight.

Neji: I (pant pant) win (hack cough)

Naruto: No (pant pant) I owned (pant) you (pant)

Inari: hey guys, look at what I can do! (pulls out a guan dao)

Naruto: holy shit, look at that beastial blade!

Neji: …hmmm…never seen that blade before…it must be Tenten's then


	18. Chp 18 Just a Blind Girl

Japponess: hello thanks for the reviews! And write more nejitenten! Neji will force tenten to help turn inari into a shinobi lol

Moonlightpath: hmmm, u haven't been on recently…T-T anyways yes, the finals did screw with my head a bit…and ya, I luv it when enji acts protective of hinata, like a good brother should, even though they're only cousins…lol neji will accept naruto as long as he doesn't try anything perverted…cough cough

HikAri Aki: yes, it was…part of it

Hibiyuru: lol naruto is smarter now though, as he has matured…to some extent at least…XD course hinat agets action we all luv hinata!

Youkou: sry it took so long, I was updating my original fic…-.-

Kodoku: it was? Lol tenten coming back…around the end of the chappie

Cyberwing: really? Lol my last chapter was funny? …hmmm (goes back to reread his work) oh yeah lol

TheGurlWithNoName: YAY long review make me happy! Tenetn is blade…though only hiashi knows because he over heard her talking…neji is absolutely clueless XD Kite is the supposed survivor of the Kotone clan, who is probably out for vengeance…tsunade will send some ninjas including kakashi, shikamaru, shino, neji, etc. to help Hidden Rain track them down…

Don't worry, shikamaru and temari are still in and there will be much more shikatema in future…

XD I am not very fond of sakura either, as they make her suddenly super strong within like two years XD and she's supposed to be the weakest…but its probably going to end up sasusaku

Hiashi is going to find a suitable husband…neji will do some…er…weeding out…hehehe

But its gonna be naruhina cuz sakura does NOT deserve naruto, and hinata does cuz she's the only one who cares about him…

The lightning nin were going with the rain nin to try and capture/kill Kite…as he is a missing-nin…and he kicked their asses

Lol this story will be well over 100,000 words…hell im not even close to half way XD

Keito-kun: I pray neji sleeps…but he probably wont without tenten's help…coughhackcough

Anyways, im pretty sure tenten would sell u one…she can make weapons too!

Asura of Love: lol the ANBU guy is weird isn't he? But he pretty strong anyways XD neji was getting influenced by naruto…XD yeah and the anbu guy…er or girl…guy…lets say hes a guy for now lol

Lawless priest: hello my good friend XD how is ur EVA fic coming along? Kakashi…fangirls…lol I pray that u do know who kite is…and speaking of kite, I updated eternal strife FYI lol more action more now

Jetflash: (gasps) how could you? Tenten and neji were made for each other! How could you not see that? Note fact that the only person neji treats and speaks to and actually LISTENS to is Tenten in the series…anyways they're always together, so blah XD

Lol tenten could be from the vampire clan, or the survivors target for revenge…hehe…and no, the needles-in-mouth was not a bloodline, let alone a jutsu…it was merely tenten's weapons mastery…a mouth-held needle launcher

Strangely…I don't see tenten as the type to bite someones neck…ROFLOL that's what makes this so amusing!

Kunoichi Goddess: T-T no one noticed hitomi was missing…poor girl…lol neji only says that XD but what does he really think? Perverted thoughts? Most likely jkjk lol tenten and neji never having children…probably scared the crap out of neji

Manuca: I took my time updating too lol lol tsunade, most interesting of the kages…though definitely not the strongest XD yes tazuna became very wealthy indeed…after all, it was his bridge that allowed the country of Waves to prosper…tenten's limit freaks u out? Yes, fear mandra! Yatta, HITOMI-CHAN! Lol

Shukido-chan: really? yay another satisfied customer! Lol hubby…funny word I must use it! We would all like to see lots of mini-tenten's with byakugan and nejis with brown hair and also mini-lee with purple and blue hair LOL and also a blonde chibified-shikamaru…as for konohamaru…hmmm wait til he meets inari XD

HimeHikari: more nejitenten lovin' to come in very future chapters lol

Joyceeee: Don't fret he's jounin…just he hasn't really told anyone yet cuz it keeps slipping his mind XD naruto in chapter 15, was a little too caught up in the moment and the fact that he was jounin slipped his mind lol that's naruto for you, very short-attention span…

Its just a girl XD

Lol I have mastered the art that is spell-check

I apologize for the delay in updating… 

**I have a request…could anyone go an review my original story? Eternal strife?**

**Again, its at my penname…"FiredragonBL"**

**Thx!**

Chapter 18 Just a Pretty Blind Girl…

Shino walked back into Shizune's office, and she happily leapt over her desk to greet him. "Shino-kun! You're already done? Wow, that was really fast!"

She smiled cheerfully, grabbing his hands and dragging him over to her desk. Shino sighed, but did give a small smirk, hidden by his collar. (A/N he looks kinda like his dad now…which means he looks like auron from FFX…just not as old)

But she is truly too adorable to resist her demands…(A/N if ppl can come up with such random pairings like nejisaku or nejiino or narutenten, then so can I!) 

"Ok Shino-kun! You can rest until the mission to Hidden Rain!"

Shino nodded. "Shizune-san, may I know what my current mission standings are?"

"Whaa? Oh, of course! Wait one minute!"

Shino waited patiently as Shizune's hands whizzed over the keyboard.

"You have 20 C-ranked, 12 B-ranked, and…wow! 24 A-ranked!"

He nodded in gratitude and prepared to walk out the door. But when he opened the door, he came face to face with Shikamaru and Chouji.

"Well, hello Shino, haven't seen you around lately…"

"…"

"Hey Shino! Wanna go out tonight? Me, Shika, and the boys are going out for a boys' night out! Get some good food and relax y'know!"

"Hello Shikamaru…Chouji…we are about to declare war on Cloud…it would not be wise to waste time on useless things such as 'boys' night out'…"

Shino brushed by them with a curt nod.

Shikamaru frowned at the black-garbed figure before Shino disappeared into the hazy sunlight. Chouji blinked, looked down the hallway with some confusion.

"Did he just disappear?"

"Some form of teleportation jutsu that has to do with bugs…how troublesome…anyways, good afternoon, Shizune-sama. You summoned?"

"Yes yes yes! Here are your next missions!"

"Missions?"

"Well, the most important one isn't happening for a bit, so there are some extra mission you can do while waiting!"

"Ok…whatever you say Shizune-sama." He took the manila folder form her hands and walked out, followed by a weeping Chouji.

"But but but! What about the buffet?"

"We can party after the missions."

Shizune raced after them, calling their names.. Shikamaru turned to her attentively. "Yes?"

"You know, that Sand girl has been looking for you…for quite a while. She seems rather upset that she can't find you. Maybe you should go talk to her." Shizune also winked suggestively at Shikamaru, who suddenly had a seizure and collapsed to the ground. Chouji stood over Shikamaru's twitching body and stared in horror.

"Shizune-chan! What kind of jutsu was that?"

Shizune facefaulted spectacularly.

* * *

Hiashi sat upon a garden chair beneath one of the many willow tree located on the Estates of the Hyuuga Clan. He was propping his head up on one arm, as he listened to proposal after proposal._Suitors…they come every year just before Valentines…from across the continent…for Hinata…_

The man in front was a clan leader from Grass. Hiashi hadn't even heard of their clan, so there wasn't much chance that Hiashi would give the man's son another look, unless he did something exceptional. Unfortunately, neji was currently away on a mission. Normally, he would have the suitors spar with Neji, and if any of them could land one small hit, let alone keep up, they would have a very good chance of actually becoming Hinata's groom. Not that Neji would let them, but that was another story.

Hiashi recalled one time where Neji nearly killed a boy who tried to kiss Hinata against her will. A maid had found Neji using the boy as a dummy on which to practice his Hakkeshou moves.

Hiashi sighed in exhaustion. At least Hinata wasn't home.

"Lord Hyuuga, my son, Takasuchi, is a skilled warrior. I would like to pledge his hand to your daughter's."

"And why, of all the suitors, should I choose your son?"

"Well, would you like to meet him to see if he meets your expectations?"

"That would be fine." He stood up, and the Grass member stood as well.

"My son shall be at the doors of this Estate at nine tomorrow morning."

The clan leader bowed and left. As expected, another maid came to Hiashi and bowed to him, informing him that another clan leader had arrived.

Hiashi was on the verge of pulling his hair out. But of course, he couldn't let down his cold reputation as the Hyuuga Head, so he merely slumped down in his seat in utter exasperation.

* * *

Neji watched in annoyance as lay with his head propped up on his arm. He was riding on top of the carriage.

"Dammit stop kill-stealing."

"Then why don't you get down here and do something yourself?"

"Because you kill them with ranged attacks and it is getting on my nerves…I haven't been able to kill anything for the past half hour with you doing point…"

"Hehe." The ANBU snickered somewhat childishly with a grin befitting a maniacal overlord. The lower half of the ANBU mask had been blown off, courtesy of an exploding kunai that came dangerously close to his face.

Neji grunted in irritation as the ANBU hurled a flaming kunai into the underbrush and was awarded with a shriek.

Lee sat behind Neji, stretching. "Y'know guys. You might have accidentally killed a poor traveler."

"No, I used the Byakugan. They didn't look like regular travelers. What kind of traveler carries a battle axe drawn?"

* * *

They were nearing a crossroads. With a puff, Hinata appeared in front of Neji. He quickly sat up and drew from his bag a water bottle.

"My turn…" The ANBU disappeared from the road with a puff.

"Here Hinata-sama."

"Thank you Neji-niisan…" She panted slightly, after doing patrol and reconnaissance for an hour. She sat down, taking in the water in gulps.

"Hinata-sama, slow down…you'll choke."

"Hai…"

"Where's that perverted, loud-mouthed brat?"

"H-He's not a brat Neji-niisan! I don't know…"

"I know he's not. I just like to call him that."

A snoring told them that Lee had fallen asleep.

"…That broke the mood…"

At the crossroads, the carriage was abruptly stopped by the driver, nearly jolting a standing Hinata off, barely saved by an angry Neji.

"Please give a us a warning next time you stop!"

"S-Sorry Hyuuga-sama but there's someone in our path!"

Neji leapt up and landed neatly in front of the horses. From the road intersecting theirs, a cloaked figure walked in front of them. Apparently, the figure took no notice of them, as he continued to walk in his odd sort of fashion, shuffling his feet unsurely. The figure was moving his hands in front of him, as though grasping for something.

"Hello?" Neji greeted the figure. Silently, he activated the Byakugan. _Could be a trap…just a diversion…_

The figure turned slowly to face Neji. Neji frowned. He hated it when he couldn't see the person's face. The hood cast a dark shadow over the visible half, so that didn't help at all.

Hinata watched, almost entranced, and felt a soft puff behind her. She assumed Lee had taken off to get the ANBU in case of trouble.

Neji grimaced as he ordered, "Remove your hood and state your name!"

Meekly, the man took off his hood, to reveal…a girl?

Neji blinked stupidly. _That was unexpected…she seems harmless enough though…_

She was a young girl about his age. When she took off her hood, curls of long light brown hair, with two distinctive strands of silver, fell out. But what was more disturbing, were her eyes. They were pure white. Lee materialized beside Neji with his mouth gaping open.

"OHMIGOD IT'S ANOTHER HYUUGA!"

"A-A H-Hyuuga? W-Where?" questioned the girl timidly. She was starting to remind him of Hinata.

"Are you not a Hyuuga?" asked Lee, completely confuzzled. Hinata was staring at the girl with a strange spark of curiosity as well.

"N-No of course not! I-I'm just—"

Lee had appeared in front of her and was examining her with a grin on his face.

"W-What are you?"

"Huh? You're cute!"

"Lee, stop scaring the girl."

Suddenly, the girl did something strange. She reached out with her hands, trying to touch Lee, but it took her several seconds to find his hands.

"Oh…you're—"

"Y-Yes…I'm blind…" Neji then realized that her eyes were white due to blindness, not a bloodline.

"I'm sorry," said Lee, bowing his head. "You poor girl, traveling without anyone to protect you! I know! I'll protect you!" Neji walked forward and thwacked Lee on the back of the head. "Have you forgotten about Hitomi already?"

"Of course not!" He grinned, flashing his mighty guy pose.

_Fortunately the girl is blind, so she doesn't have to suffer._

"U-Um…could you point me in the direction of Konoha?"

"We're going there! We'll take you!"

"What is going on out there?" One of the merchant brother had finally noticed something was the matter and poked his had out of the carriage.

"Nothing, just found a girl, who I guess will be coming with us…"

The man's face lit up when he saw the girl, "Splendid!"

He gestured for her to come into the carriage.

"Ah yes, and she's blind…"

"Oh, well bring her over her then!"

Neji sighed and he gently led the blind but beautiful girl to the carriage and helped her step into it.

Neji returned to where Lee was standing with a wry smile.

"…So would you call me a pimp now?"

"…What's a pimp?"

The ANBU appeared at that moment. "Heard you guys pimped a hot chick…"

Neji snorted as he leapt up onto the carriage and motioned for the driver to continue the trip.

"By the way, has anyone spotted Naruto lately?"

"…Yeah…think I saw him sleeping in a tree a couple kilometers back."

Everyone proceeded to sweatdrop. Except for Neji of course.

* * *

Naruto caught up to the mini-convoy shortly before they reached. They were met by Anko about a kilometer outside the city gates.

"Well guys, you're right one time! Well, of by a couple of minutes, but close enough!"

"Evening, Anko-sama…and how are you?"

"Just came back from my mission about an hour ago."

"Good…is Tenten-san back yet?"

"Arrived same time you did in fact…"

* * *

Hitomi knelt in front of her father. "You summoned me, father?"

"Yes…about the marriage…you are to be wed to Hyuuga…Hisui. The victor of the past tourney."

"W-What? I am sorry father, but—"

"Hyuuga Neji lost. Hisui was declared the victor by the Hyuuga Council of Elders. Thus you shall be married to him."

"But father—"

"Do you defy me, my daughter? I gave you life, you are mine to control!"

"Y-Yes father…" She walked out of the room quickly, tears starting to form in her eyes.

_Not again…why does he scare me so? He's dictating my miserable life…now it's even more pathetic…DAMMIT!_

Outside, she unleashed a deluge of water at a nearby tree, blasting it out of the ground. She fell to her knees, clutching her head. _Dammit…have to control…myself…

* * *

_

Shigeki swore under his breath. They had found the criminal Kite. Well, more like he found them. He was well hidden, inside the hollow trunk of an old tree. He survivors of his squad were all hidden or running for their lives. They ones who ran probably didn't have much of a chance though, as Kite was a demon in speed. Several of his associates were not as lucky, and their lifeless bodies could be seen lying around the forest. Strangely enough, he noted, there were no pools of blood beneath the bodies as he had thought there would be. The faces of the dead were also unusually pale, as though the blood had been sucked out of them.

Shigeki knew they had been killed by the blade though, as each had a long clean cut in his chest.

_Whoever this "Kite" is, he must be a force to be reckoned with…he took out twelve jounin-level hunter-nin without batting a eye._

He suddenly found himself staring eye to eye with Kite himself. Never had Shigeki known so much fear, as he could feel himself trembling under the man's emotionless gaze. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses, so Shigeki couldn't see his eyes. But he could feel them scanning his face. But he wouldn't be taken down so easily. Shigeki gritted his teeth and attempted to clasp his hands together, but then found that he couldn't move.

"You are the leader yes?"

"H-Hai…"

"Your men are all dead. But I shall spare you." Shigeki's eyes widened. _What? He's already wiped out the rest of the squad? He's not human!_

"As long as you deliver this to your Kage, who I assume has not returned from his trip to the Leaf…"

"O-O-Of c-course!"

Kite nodded, before spontaneously vanishing into thin air in front of Shigeki's face. Shigeki sighed and exploded out of the tree trunk. At his feet lay a pair of scrolls. Cursing, he picked them up and walked off.

* * *

"I am off to see my beautiful Hitomi-chan!"

"…Hn…" Neji sat down on the bench. After being thanked half a dozen times by each of the Haori brothers, Hinata and Naruto had disappeared. _At least Hinata came to tell me she was going off, I can't keep chasing her around town…like that glomping scenario several years back…_

He shook his head, trying to get rid of that nightmarish incident. Shivering slightly, Neji looked up to see a smiling Tenten. He blinked. She just smiled at him, and then cocked her head in that absolutely adorable sort of way. Tenten had her Jounin vest on, with two katanas strapped to her back.

"Hello Neji-kun, so how was your mission?"

"Don't call me that. It was fine. And you?"

"I'm fine, nearly got molested though, but I'm fine."

Neji found it strange that his blood began to boil when he heard that someone had tried to molest her. _Probably because she's a good friend…that's all…_

He groaned as he got up. Oh yes, those sleepless nights were catching up to him. With a snort of annoyance, he blanked out and slumped forward, to be caught by a concerned-looking Tenten.

"Oh my gosh! Neji!"

* * *

Naruto grinned, stretched, and jumped into the lake, letting out a war cry. Hinata sat at the side of the lake, watching him with a smile.

"Hey Hinata-chan! The water's great! Come in!" he called to her, floundering around in the water with a foxy grin.

"Okay sure…" She smiled and she stood up and quickly shed her robes, revealing a very modest (chosen by Neji himself) one piece and a thin, slender body. Naruto's jaws instantly dropped. _OHMIFSKINGGOD I KNEW SHE WAS CUTE BUT SHE'S…A…A_

"Um, Naruto-kun? You have a nosebleed…maybe we shouldn't go swimming…"

Naruto wiped his nose and saw some blood on his hand. _Wow…haven't gotten one of these in a while…_

"Yeah, maybe we can go swimming later…how about a movie?"

"Okay! That sounds great!"

Naruto sighed regretfully as Hinata put her clothes back on.

* * *

Kakashi half-listened, half-read, while Shizune was enthusiastically giving a briefing on the next S-ranked mission. He yawned as he turned a page in his copy of _Icha Icha Paradise vol. 8_. He smiled underneath his mask. _Wow…that girl is hot…and she reminds me of…Rin…_

"KAKASHI STOP READING THOSE DAMN PORN NOVELS!"

That was Tsunade, who had walked in and had spotted him. He smiled sheepishly at her, before reluctantly putting away the book.

"Psss…Kakashi…why do you read those things? Aren't we supposed to be listening?"

"Shut it Anko."

"My rival! How can you read such repulsive comics while listening to the beautiful Shizune-chan?"

"Gai, do you want me to hurt you?"

"I will…"

Yeah baby, that's how we do it around here! 

Kakashi felt someone whack his neck. Just before he collapsed, he turned and saw Anko grinning at him. Everyone turned to look at them when Kakashi fell to the floor with a dull thump. "No one tells me to shut up and gets away with it!"

"QUIET OVER THERE!"

"Hai Hokage-sama."

**Very nice hit there Anko…**

_Shut it, Mandra…_

**Ohhhh…that's cold…**

* * *

Tenten grunted with effort as she dragged Neji's sleeping carcass down the empty streets. _Where is everyone? And damn, his bag is heavy…and I could have sworn it just moved…_

Suddenly, the large sack she was dragging became light, throwing her off balance, and she was about to hit the ground, when someone caught her and set her on her feet. Neji had woken, and there was a boy of early teens standing beside him. The boy was standing on the sack, which now had a large hole over it

"Do I know you?"

"You must be Tenten! Naruto-niisan told me about how you wee a weapons master! I wanna become one too!"

Tenten cocked an eyebrow in the direction of Neji, who smirked at her.

"Naruto has a brother? Well, they do kinda look alike…"

"Tenten, this is Inari, son of Tazuna of Wave Country. He's my apprentice."

The wind blew gently, as an awkward moment of silence ensued. It was short-lived though

"SAY WHAT?"

"I am going to train him."

"B-But, what about me? We always train together!"

"You're going to help me train him…he'll be the first Shinobi from the Land of the Waves…"

"Yes! Neji-sensei says he'll make me a really strong ninja! Just like Naruto-niisan!"

Tenten cocked her head to the side, biting her lip as she thought it over. "Are you sure the Hokage would be all right with it?"

"Of course she will!"

* * *

Lee wandered the streets of Konoha, searching for his "precious water lily". Asking around, he heard that she was residing in one of the guesthouses in the Hyuuga Estates.

Without wasting anytime, he ran over there within a couple of seconds (he was the Green Beast of Konoha after all). Streaking past the bewildered guards, he ran into the clan estates without any remorse. _I wonder where she could be…_

And blast of water shot into the air some hundred meters away.

First thought in Lee's head: _I never knew the Hyuugas had their own geyser!_

Second thought: _…er…that's a pretty big geyser…_

Third thought: _It shoots in rapid-fire bursts! Cool! I must check this out!_

He ran cheerfully through the fields in the Hyuuga estates, oblivious to the fact that there was a large group of Hyuuga guards screaming at him to stop and chasing him with lots of pointy objects. Not that it mattered to Lee of course, they wouldn't catch him in a million years.

Running through the woods, he found the source of all the vertical water blasts.

"Hitomi-chan!" Lee ran to her. She was sitting against a tree, randomly shooting off burst of water with a wave of her hand.

"Oh, hello Lee-kun, is everything all right?"

Lee saw that she was wiping her eyes, even though she tried to hide the motion.

"Hitomi-chan! Who hurt you? I, THE GREEN BEAST OF KONOHA, SHALL BEAT HIM DOWN!"

"M-My father—"

"What? I can't kill your father! Then who shall approve of our bonding?"

"M-My father is pledging my hand to Hyuuga Hisui, who defeated Hyuuga Neji…" Slowly, tears started to fall, as the azure-haired girl lowered her head in mourning. "And he won't hear me out…"

Lee sat beside her and wrapped his arms reassuringly around her shoulder, rocking back and force.

He whispered in her ear softly, "Do not worry, I shall find a way…to get you out of this forced marriage, I promise. I will never let anything happen to you…"

She sniffed, resting her head on his shoulder, as the couple sat together under the shade of the maple tree.

…_I will protect you Hitomi-chan, for you are precious to me…the first to respond to my call of youthful love!

* * *

_

"But Hokage-sama, I have not yet been assigned a team, so I decided that I could pick my own apprentice…"

"BUT HE ISN'T FROM KONOHA!"

"So?"

Tsunade threw her arms in the air in exasperation. The Hyuuga was so annoying! How could he be so calm and reserved in an argument? That damn stoic smirk of his…

"Well, Hokage-sama?"

"…Fine…but that's because I need to talk with you about something else. You said you brought a girl into Konoha in your report. I want you to bring the girl here and now."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Neji walked into the room, guiding the girl gently with his arm around her shoulder, lest she fall. Tsunade let a small grin escape.

"So Neji, kind to the pretty girl eh?" She joked playfully.

"Actually, she's blind, Hokage-sama. I was just being polite."

Though she is kind of hot… 

"Anyways, what is her name?"

Neji realized he had even forgotten to ask her name. _Yeah…I'm going straight to the Estates and sleeping for at least six hours after this…_

"…I have yet to ask. Miss, would you grace us with your name?"

"My name is Kimiko…"

"Kimiko…what is your family name?"

"I…do not know…I am sorry. I am an orphan." She bowed her head in shame.

Neji suddenly felt a burst of goodwill towards the girl. She knew what it was like to live without a proper family. Without a father or mother to guide you. He nodded in approval.

Tsunade inspected the girl closely. _She's a pretty girl…looks trustworthy, enough to melt any man's heart…but there's something strange about her…my instincts tell me to be wary around her…she may yet be an assassin._

"So, what brings you to Konoha, Kimiko-san?"

"I heard about it. One of the more gentle of the Shinobi countries, so I decided to move here…I have heard about how beautiful your city is."

"Really? Well thank you. Konoha is prided as being one of the most prosperous and respectful ninja villages you'll know. Well, then I hope you do enjoy your stay here. Would you require any assistance, for your disability?"

"No thank you, I am fine." She bowed to Tsunade in gratitude.

"Well, I hope you enjoy your stay then! Neji-san?"

"Of course hokage-sama, here, come with me Kimiko-san"

He gently clasped her hand and led her out of the room. Tsunade then promptly jumped over the desk and landed in her seat. She frowned and pressed a button on her chair panel.

"Shizune-chan? I want a nice warm bottle of sake on the double!"

end chapter

as an apology for not updating recently…I give you

**OMAKE:_ Why Neji Reluctantly Approves of Naruto as A Suitable Spouse For Hinata_**.

"So Naruto, tell me, do you love my cousin?"

Naruto stared at him for a second, as though Neji was insane. "SAY WHAT? OF COURSE! HINATA-CHAN IS MY LIFE!"

The bar went silent, as Neji's eye began that funny twitching movement again. But he forced it down and took another drink of his coolatta to cool himself.

"To what length would you go to, to protect her?"

"I WOULD SACRIFICE MY LIFE!"

"…Okay…you're starting to sound like Lee," Neji quickly snatched away Naruto's drink, "That is enough alcohol for the hour. Right answer though."

"ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT FROM ME?"

At this, every head was swiveled in there direction. For Hinata's sake, Neji decided not to kill Naruto. But he did activate his Byakugan and glare at everyone, making them turn away in fright.

"Naruto, that was frighteningly disturbing, but I'll pretend you are more intoxicated than you really are. Why do you love Hinata-sama?"

"Well, she's cute, really really cute. Absolutely ADORABLE! Anyone would want her! She's so sexy!"

Neji's brain was starting to hurt. _I can't believe I'm listening to this…_

He resisted the urge to run out screaming as Naruto described to him every aspect of why he loved Hinata, ranging from her cute smile, to every part of her body, oblivious to the fact that he was speaking with Hinata's older cousin.

_Can't…take…any…more!_

"Okay Naruto, that's enough. My brain tells me to kill you, but I will pretend to have only heard the part about her smile and the way she was the only one who cared for you."

"But her brea—"

CRUNCH!. Naruto let out a howl as Neji stepped on his foot with a very satisfied smirk on his face.

"Let us go outside for your next test."

Neji literally grabbed Naruto by the collar and dragged him outside.

* * *

After dragging Naruto some several kilometers away, he released his choke hold on Naruto.

"Owww…did we really have to go over the rocks?"

"Stop whining if you wish to be her future husband."

Neji smirked. He had taken careful steps to make sure he took the longest, roughest trail to this particular clearing. _That was certainly stress-relieving…_

"Oi, Neji, why the hell did you tell me to come here?"

The Weapons Master of Konoha walked out of the bushes with a frown.

"And why is Naruto looking as though you dragged him around a desert for the past two kilometers?"

"Reasons, ten-chan, reasons…anyways, you are here as a notary…"

"Why?"

"A witness to Naruto's exploits…"

Naruto stood up, grinning, "I AM READY!"

"He looks drunk. What the hell did you do to him?"

"…"

"Well?"

Neji turned to the grinning Naruto, who pumped his fist into the air. "I AM READY!"

"Yes, I can see that…ok, hit me with your strongest move. If you do enough damage, I will approve of your relationship with my cousin. I will be defending myself just so you know."

"Piece of cake!"

Neji's eye started twitching again, "Is that so?"

"PREPARE YOURSELF!"

Tenten sighed as she quickly strode out of range.

"Bring it."

Naruto suddenly had an evil, extremely maniacal glint in his eye as he glanced briefly at Tenten.

"SEXY NO JUTSU SUPREME! TENTEN-STYLE!"

"WHAT THE #$#$#?" screeched Tenten.

Neji took a look as the smoke cleared. It was a naked form of Tenten. _Oh my—_

He felt blood shoot out of his nostrils at an alarming rate.

"COMBO! TENTEN'S HAREM NO JUTSU!"

The last thing Neji remembered was being surrounded and then glomped by hundreds of naked Tentens. He then proceeded to keel over from blood loss. _So…powerful…_

Tenten stood there for a second. She blinked. Then, almost calmly, she took out two scrolls. "SOUSHOURYU!"

The clearing was filled with blasts of smoke and kunais, shurikens, amongst other sharp and pointy objects struck their targets. A quivering Naruto was left pinned to the ground beside a twitching but unconscious Neji (complete with signs of a massive nosebleed and hemorrhaging). "NARUTO-TEME!" she roared.

"Oh shit. WAAAAAHHHH NOOOOOO NOT THE POINTY STICKS! AAAHH I'M SORRY IT WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD—GAAHAHAHAHAHAAIIIIEIEIEIEEEEEEE!"

* * *

The next morning. Neji sat in his hospital bed, reading the daily newspaper. The door opened, and a cheery Tenten hopped in, giving him a little hug.

"Good morning Ten-chan…"

"Ohayo Neji-kun!"

"I can't believe Naruto did that yesterday! God I am so embarrassed…" She bowed to him

"Not your fault…" He placed his hand on Tenten shoulder with concern.

"…yeah…thanks Neji, I appreciate it…just don't tell anyone about it okay?"

"Hn…"

"…"

A moment of pregnant silence ensued.

"That was a powerful jutsu. No wonder the Third had trouble with it."

"…You're teasing me, aren't you?"

"…"

end omake

kk ppl remember, LONG REVIEWS ARE BEST!


	19. Chp 19 Information Please!

Moonlightpath: …um…that person would be either me or…lil Michael Jackson eh? well hope you like this chapter…lol

Asura of Love: (bows deeply) I thank you greatly for R&Ring my original story, eternal strife hope you read the and enjoy the rest! Lol so…making some educated guessed now, yes? Sisters…they could be , you'll just have to read to find out…in the next few chapters...hope you enjoy this kinda-short chapter…

Hibiyuru: hmm…hitomi and lee's kids…er…imagine lee with purple/blue hair…or a female version of lee who can change hair color at will…XDXD LOL

Japponess: lol glad you like the omake I enjoyed writing it lol…enjoy this update

TheGurlWithNoName: lazing around? Er…kind of…I was on vacation in florida…yeah…sorry XD well hope you like this! And no I am not Japanese, I am Chinese XDXD

Shukido-chan: lol YAY long review! Neji has learned the unimaginable force that is the sexy no jutsu! lol about sakura, I just found it kind of unfair that she became so strong over such a short period of time lol…I'd be pissed if they made tenten weak…well, at least we know neji inhumanely strong…he took out three kisame clones with one move XD so chakra control…lol would that be the secret to gai's strength? Lol not really…well, hope you enjoy this chapter!

MegDeity: it was no mere sexy no jutsu…it was…SEXY NO JUTSU TENTEN-STYLE! XDXDXD bet neji found that interesting for the short amount of time he was conscious…lol

Lil-Donkey: more information will be revealed about the clan wars and the kotone as well as their allies… the jutsu is quite powerful indeed…

Twaine: thank you….hope you enjoy the update!

Youkou: T-T forgive me…(goes to revise 18th chapter, but fails miserably) oh darn, I have no time…-.- maybe later…but I hope the omake made up for the chapter!

Kodoku: lol glad you liked it! Ill add more nejiten later…yeah…-.- anyways…where were we? XD hope you enjoy this chapter…

Manuca: hello manuca-chan inari might just start the first wave ninja academy lol…sorry I was gone so long, but I have come back, and I am updating think happy thoughts! Yesm I thought about pairing shino and shizune XD for the heck of it lol…and as for valentines…um…still a week away or so…possibly enough time for neji to learn what to do for a certain girl on that day XD kimiko isn't um blonde…she is brown-haired…kinda like tenten…-.- ill stop talking now…lol no I wont…yes poor hitomi…lee must help her find independence from her father…and kite is from the long-thought-to-be-wiped-out kotone clan…their clan didn't really belong to a country…but several parts of the clan resided in lightning country…lol yes we all luv anko cuz she's soooo funny with her snake friend mandra…

Chi-chan: ill try to put more nejiten in lol, and thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy this…

Jin-ashi: updating

Spyke the Hedgehog: glomp…I luv that word…glomp glomp glomp glomp glomp…sorry…I just really like that word lol hope you like the new chappie!

Rachel: thanks updating as requested!

Ok…I must apologize for my prolonged absence without leaving a note…I was gone for about a week to go on vacation with my family in florida…I apologize…forgive me…

**And kudos to asura-chan for reading eternal strife! It makes me happy !**

…**yeah…anyways…I present to you the 19th chapter…(puts on his earphones)**

**have fun…**

Chapter 19 Information Please!

"No thank you, I am fine." She bowed to Tsunade in gratitude.

"Well, I hope you enjoy your stay then! Neji-san?"

"Of course hokage-sama, here, come with me Kimiko-san"

He gently clasped her hand and led her out of the room. Tsunade then promptly jumped over the desk and landed in her seat. She frowned and pressed a button on her chair panel.

"Shizune-chan? I want a nice warm bottle of sake on the double!"

* * *

The two ANBU guards looked at each other. 

"Wow, Hyuuga is such a lucky bastard. First he's got that Tenten chick, and now he's got the hot blind girl."

"Do you think he'll take advantage of her blindness?"

"Nah, Neji's too polite, he would never do that...I think..."

* * *

Shigeki limped into Hidden Rain, and was greeted by a squad of Chuunins. He handed them the scrolls, and gave them orders to take it directly to the Mizukage. But they informed him that Lord Usaga had not yet returned from Konohagakure. _Dammit…with this…with that demon loose…we'll have casualties piling up every time we send cells outside our walls…_

* * *

Tenten laughed as she showed the boy her array of weapons. The look on his face was that of a toddler who had found a secret stash of candy. 

"And this, this is a senbon." She picked out the long thin wooden needle. "Sturdy, an effective weapon for both defense and long-ranged attacks, and if you are skilled enough, it can take the place of a kunai in hand-to-hand combat. This here is a kunai, no doubt you've already seen one. Here is a weapon that is commonly confused with the senbon. The original acupuncture needle. Extremely small, and less than four centimeters."

The had pulled one of the thin, easily concealable needles from a wristband on her wrist, worn on top of her finger-less gloves, which reached half-way down her forearms. The blunt end of the needle was a small ball, which allowed Tenten to quickly it out of its place. Inari saw that the wristband was lined with identical little balls on both the top and bottom ends of the band. Of the needle, only the balled top was visible.

"Wow, so with that wristband, you can carry…"

"Over fifty needles…and no one ever thinks anything else of this wristband…most think its just for decoration. But as I have always said about myself, I'm not one for pretty things, unless they're pretty useful as well…"

Inari continued to watch Tenten close with admiring eyes, as he took in every fact she told him. "Later, I will draw you a diagram of the human body for you to study, if you wish to learn this style…the drawing will be labeled with every pressure point and killing point known to man. With acupuncture, you can kill, disable, or heal. A fine art, if one wishes to call it that. It will take years of training…"

* * *

From the branches of a great old tree, Neji watched Tenten explain the art of weapons to his pupil. He smirked. _She looks so serious, so confident…a different Tenten…in her area of expertise…it rather unfortunate I cannot hear them from my vantage point…

* * *

_

"This is the kidachi, the short sword version of the katana."

She handed him the naked kidachi. With a wave of her hand, she summoned her tow katanas and unsheathed. The blades. Inari's attention was instantly drawn from the blade in his hands to the unique, ornate blades which Tenten was wielding with both hands. His eyes remained latched to the vibrant blades, one crimson red like blood, the other jet-black as the night.

"My two personal katanas. Each is unique in its own way. The crimson one was unique in the way it was made, and the black one, from the which the ore it was made."

"Really? How was the red one made?"

"It was forged with, and then tempered with my own blood…nearly died from making this one, but Neji found me unconscious at my forge, and assumed that I had cut myself one too many times…he never did find out what had happened. Please don't tell him that," she smiled dreamingly at the fact.

"You like Neji-sensei, don't you?"

She jerked a bit, but caught herself and calmly replied, "As my best friend and teammate, of course!"

"No, you know what I mean, you like _like_ him!" Inari grinned evilly at her. He her his thumb.

She cocked an eyebrow. "I have a set of weapon here. If I were you, I'd shut up unless someone wants to get turned into a pincushion."

She growled threateningly at him. Inari merely smiled at her, attempting to "charm" her.

* * *

Neji winced as Tenten began to thump Inari with a club. 

"…That's my student she's killing there."

"You've already got genin squad?"

"…Shikamaru, if you ever use your Shadow Image to sneak up on me again, I will personally seal all of your chakra holes for the rest of your life."

"Gotcha. By the way, why is Tenten beating up on the poor kid with the club?"

"Looks to me she's using the nunchakus right now."

"Interesting…maybe that is why women are so troublesome."

Neji snorted loudly, more loudly than he would have preferred.

* * *

Tenten dropped the nunchukus she was holding, and turned around. Her super sensitive level of hearing had informed her that someone was watching them. He eyes hungrily searched the surroundings for more victims.

* * *

"OHMIFSKINGGGOD SHE SEES US!" 

"Shut it, she hasn't seen us yet!"

Neji instantly took back his last remark as he was slammed in the face by a large pair of studded tonfas. Few people remained standing after being struck with these weapons, and he abruptly fell out of the tree. Shikamaru soon followed suit. Neji saw that there was the red imprint of a large mace on his face. Fortunately they had fallen amongst a group of bushes, which temporarily hid them from view.

"Keep quiet. She might pass us by…"

"…Neji…did I ever tell you that I don't want to die at the hands of a homicidal girl?"

"…"

"Hey! She passed us b—"

"Oh shit."

* * *

Inari sat up and rubbed his aching head furiously. _She's a demon! …A cute one…_

From his spot, he heard several girlish shrieks of pain, followed by what sounded like the felling of several trees. Wincing, he looked at the metallic club he that had just handed him his butt.

Inari grunted as he tried to lift it with one hand, and found that he couldn't. _Wow, Ten-chan-sensei is also really strong…_

"Anyways, back to our lesson. Inari?"

"Yes Tenten-sama….uhnnn…pain!"

"Deal with it, ninjas are expected to be able to handle a great of pain."

She took out another box from the massive cabinet she had somehow lugged through the wilderness and opened it, revealing a set of shuriken.

"You probably already know what these are right?"

"Shurikens!"

"Good boy. We shall start training, now."

She snapped her fingers, and several targets lined the edge of the forest in front of them.

"Suh-weeeeet! GIMME THEM NOW!"

"…Please do not drool on my weapons."

"YES YES YES YES YES YES!"

Tenten pursed her lips as any mother would while looking at a disobedient child, and she cautiously handed the boy a shuriken.

"What? ONLY ONE?"

"Hit a target, then I'll let you throw two."

Inari moaned and he turned about to look at the targets. "Piece of cake."

With a careless expression, he hurled the shuriken, and in a large graceful arc, it lodged itself in the red center of one of the targets.

"Nice…I see you already know how to use a shuriken. What the hell, here, let's see how many out of eight you can make."

Inari grinned and took the offered weapons, and whirled about, launching them all simultaneously. They arced towards their targets, and six of them hit, while two missed by a mile.

"…You missed two."

"But I hit six!"

"One enemy can kill you, let alone two."

Inari sighed as he took two handfuls of shurikens and began to chuck them repeatedly at the targets.

* * *

Neji staggered back to the gates of Konoha, sharing support with an equally bruised Shikamaru. 

"Dammit, why is your girl so troublesome?"

"Whose girl?"

"Your girl, Tenten!"

"…She's no one's girl…"

"Suuure…"

"Why don't you go tell that to her face then?"

"…Um, don't think so…you're so troublesome, you know? You two are always together, and she is always with you…so you know…"

Neji stepped on Shikamaru's foot, drawing a shout of pain from the pineapple-head. The Chuunins positioned at the village gates smiled at them and waved at them in a unusually friendly manner.

"So, what's up Neji-sama? Just finish a really tough A-mission? You guys look like you've been through living hell."

"Yeah well, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," retorted Neji scathingly

The two Chuunins looked at each other in confusion as Shikamaru and Neji limped past them.

Shikamaru stared at the throng of civilians in their way.

"Damn…I'll probably fall from exhaustion before I reach my house…"

"Then I'll carry you Shika-kun!"

Neji just stood and stared exhaustedly, with a hint of surprise on his stony visage, as Temari appeared in a puff of smoke behind the tow and gave a Shikamaru a bone-crushing hug. Neji broke his façade as he smirked evilly. Temari was another girl that had interested him.

She was quite like Tenten; a tomboy, war-like (yes, said Neji, war-like indeed, Tenten does not need to agree), extremely independent, and loved to train. No wonder they became friends, even after she owned Tenten in the first Chuunin Exams hey took part in. The blonde girl had begun to drag Shikamaru through the ground, earning some strange glances, but Temari didn't mind them at all, as she continued to haul Shikamaru through the throngs of people.

* * *

Tsunade sat on her desk, thinking hard. _Kite…where have I heard that name?_

"Tsunade-sama"

"Why Morino, I see you're no longer hived up in that torture chamber of yours! What a lovely surprise!"

"No. It's that new girl, the pretty blind one. I don't trust her…oh yes, I think, if I'm not mistaken, you were wondering about Kite?"

Tsunade bolted upright. "What, you know something? Please, do tell!"

Ibiki smiled as he took off his large trench coat and sat down.

"I presume you did some studying about the devastating clan wars that wreaked havoc across the continent, yes?"

"Err…" Tsunade smiled sheepishly. She did not do any study. In fact, she hadn't studied anything for years. Morino sighed in irritation.

"Ok, listen closely, I'll tell you once. I did some studying after we received news about the nukenin Kite, as well as the survivor of the Kotone Clan. Well?"

She opened a bottle of sake, much to the chief interrogator's annoyance. She held the bottle out towards him, which he waved off with a gloved hand.

"Well what?"

"What would you like me to tell first?"

"Mmm…sure you don't want some."

Morino glared at the Hokage, who smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, couldn't resist! Um, tell me about this mysterious Clan Kotone…"

"The Kotone Clan, is older than the Uchiha and Hyuuga Clans by a respective amount. They were considered the powerhouse of all clans located on this continent as well, for many generations. They were practically considered their own hidden village. Then, they abruptly resigned from their post of power and kept to themselves. The clan disappeared from politics, and also shrunk in size, for some unknown reason. My guess is a blood feud between some of the families of the clan."

Morino pulled a flask from his vest and took a gulp of whatever was inside. Tsunade smirked at him, as she too took a large gulp of sake. Morino merely rolled his eyes and continued.

"Well, continuing on, the clan withdrew and kept to themselves for nearly a century, so that gap in the timeline is completely shrouded in mystery. But after that period of obscurity, then came back to dominate politics with a enthusiastic force. Most likely a change in clan leadership…Soon it led to the long and bloody Clan Wars, as three alliances emerged to fight the others. The Kotone Clan was allied with the Ginhoshi Clan and Helstar Clans, who's leaders were supposedly good friends of the Kotone leader. Those two clans were quite powerful in their own right, though maybe not as large as the Kotone member-wise. As you probably know," Morino cracked his knuckles loudly before continuing, "The Uchiha and Hyuuga, as well as the Aburame were part of the Alliance of the Leaf. This included the largest clans of Konoha as well as dozens of clans from other villages near Hidden Leaf, including some from Sand as well."

Tsunade nodded, as she took another sip of her sake.

"And?"

"The third clan alliance was the one between the great clans of Stone and Cloud and the surrounding lands. Funnily enough, this war took place roughly during the wars our villages themselves had been waging between each other."

"I see…"

"The historians, unfortunately, placed many of the battles of the Great Clan Wars as just some of the minor skirmishing between the various villages during the wars with Stone and Cloud. That is why few people have heard of the clan wars. Most believe it as a legend of old, that had taken place centuries before, which is totally made up. I have no idea where they got the that from."

"Well, anything see you managed to dig up about the battles themselves?"

"I did some background research on the wars between Leaf and Stone and Cloud, as well as certain descriptions left by survivors from various clans. Several battles I found, were taking place at the same time, so I surmised that some of the battle in which we considered part of the War with Stone or War with Cloud may have as well been the setting for battles of the hidden clan war…all in all I can say that the clan wars were meant to be a hidden, underground war. Not that it reduced the brutality or mortality rate, but instead increased them."

"How?"

"The defeated clans were often massacred after the able males were all killed off in battle, the clan estates would be seized and razed to the ground in the middle of the villages themselves, and all the women and children summarily executed."

Morino bowed his head sadly and Tsunade choked.

"Women and children? Summarily executed?"

"Yes, and I am sorry to say that some of our own clans did committed the same crimes…unfortunately, we had no time for a military tribunal following the wars…nor did we ever figure out the exact suspects and offenders…"

Morino paused to pull a scroll from beneath his black coat. He opened it and showed it to Tsunade.

"That a official surrender document. Where did you get that?"

"I have many contacts…anyways, I believe you recognize at least one of the seals…at the bottom…"

Tsunade looked, and sure enough, she saw the same sun-symbol stamped over a signature which must have belonged to the Head of the Kotone Clan at that time. There were three other seals, complete with signatures.

"Hokage-sama, the other two seals you do not recognize are of the Ginhoshi Clan and the Helstar Clan. The Helstar lived on the outskirts of Stone, whilst the Ginhoshi, like the Kotone, have no particular affiliation with any village. I sent and ANBU squad to each of the estates to find only ruins and mass graves."

"What did you find?" Tsunade blinked over the rim of her sake cup.

"Nothing. Everything burned. I have absolutely no information on the two clans, as all records about them had been burned or cut out. Almost as if someone wanted to erase them from history. Same for the Kotone Clan. The only descriptions were some made by the Hyuuga and the Uchihas during one of the battles. Apparently the Trinity Alliance, as the three clans were called, believed strongly in quality over quantity, as their forces were often outnumbered ten to one or more, the largest recorded was one Kotone clan member, the head I believe, who wiped out most of an attack force consisting of some Hidden Grass and Sand clan members. That is just about all…hope you remember this…and, the so-called survivor of Kotone, may not just be from Kotone at all. Or it could be a girl…"

"Are you sure there is nothing else?"

"Well, there have been rumors started years ago about the heiress of the Ginhoshi to be alive. She was said to be enchantingly beautiful, and yet, blind. There were many reports about seeing her. Of course, she may just be some other blind girl…"

Tsunade choked, coughing out sake. She pounded herself with a fist.

"Blind, you say?" she asked weakly.

Morino nodded seriously, before turning about with a swish of his long coat as he put it on, and left the room.

* * *

Kimiko stood in her room, as she gingerly took off her ragged traveling cloak. Though she was blind, her hearing and sixth sense was unmatched, and could just as easily maneuver herself as anyone with 20/20 sight. 

The removal of the long, dusty, and unmistakably old cape revealed long, flowing, white robe. They were white with silver decoration: elegant swirls blossomed up symmetrically from sides, ending with a pair of pristine dragons crawling up to the high white collar around her neck, almost touching her chin. She shook her head, letting her long amber mane sweep down, free from the restraining hood.

Kimiko sighed, and walked slowly in the direction where the inn owner and told her where her nearest set of furniture was. The man had kindly provided the room for half the price. On top of that, it was a top suite, overlooking the rising buildings of Konoha. As she recalled, it had been near dinner when Neji introduced her to the owner. Kimiko wasn't sure whether it was due to the Hyuuga's influence or the fact that the man was sort of drooling when he talked to her,

She felt the gentle breeze stir about the room, as her hands skimmed across the smooth, ancient wood of the table. She could also smell the bouquet of flowers set on the table for her by the owner. But she could not see them. How her blindness limited her, yet opened the rest of her sense to the world.

She knew there were two shinobi outside her window, watching her every move. They were completely silent, yet she could hear them breath, their muscles contract, and she feel their heartbeats beating through the air.

Calmly, she walked towards the open doors made of windowpanes, onto the balcony. She stretched her hands out in front of her, slowly searching for the handrail. Her hands finally found the rough surface of the rock surface of the handrails. She blinked her pale eyes as the wind gently blew her hair around.

"Good Evening gentlemen. May I ask why you are spying on this poor girl?"

The two shinobi, attached to the wall, looked at each other, and then dropped down behind Kimiko.

"Forgive us Lady Kimiko, but our orders were to watch you, as you might have guessed…"

They then disappeared in two simultaneous blasts of smoke. Kimiko sighed, and she walked back into the room and picked up her traveling cloak, sweeping it back around her shoulders, and pulling the hood up. _It appears that I may need to go for a walk…

* * *

_

"Good morning Neji."

"Morning Tenten…"

The two strode side by side down the street towards the Konoha Gate. As usual, they were heading out towards training. People smiled at the two when they walked past, and Tenten, as usual, gave them a cheery "hello". This often made most of the mal populace weak in the knees. That fact, for some reason, irritated Neji to no end.

He glared at two boys who seemed very interested in Tenten, and actually brushed past her with winks and several smiles, deliberately bumping her shoulder. Tenten, being the nice, polite that she was, ignored the action. Neji, however, stopped, and as the boys went past him, his arm shot out and gripped the shoulder of one, causing the others to halt as well.

"You know, it's considered common courtesy to apologize when one 'accidentally' bumps into another…and I don't like ones without manners…"

"And what are you gonna do about it, pretty-boy?"

Neji, still looking straight ahead of him, merely smirked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"What's that, girl?"

"…I am not a girl…"

"Then what's with the long hair?"

Neji turned to them, with his Byakugan activated.

"OHMIGOD IT'S HYUUGA NEJI!"

"BLOOOODY MURDEEEEER!"

The boys ran away screaming for their mothers, as Neji smirked and gestured towards the frowning Tenten to continue walking. She sighed in utter defeat and walked beside Neji, stride for stride. Neji noted with some pleasure that people were now giving them a wide berth.

"Well, we don't have a mission today…so…"

"We train."

Tenten smiled happily. "My words exactly!"

Neji couldn't resist but smirk. But then some somber, troubling thoughts about the girl beside him wiped the smirk off his face, and he once again took the indifferent expression he used to mask his emotions. _I really need to get out of it…_

Tenten looked at Neji, who she could've sworn, was just smirking a while ago. She knew enough about him to know that someone was troubling his mind, even though his face was devoid of emotion. She, without thinking, reached out and clasped his hands, causing him to stiffen and look at her with a surprised expression. Actually, she was surprised at her own daring, but she didn't let that stop her, and she looked into his eyes with her own puzzled expression.

"Hn?"

"What's the matter? One moment, you were smirking, and now, you're colder than stone. Something the matter?"

"No. I'm fine."

Tenten smiled. To most people, Neji would have either ignored them, or just said no minus the "I'm fine.". But Tenten wasn't done yet. She looked him in the eye, still gripping his hand.

"Something _is_ the matter. I, being your personal confidante, would like to know," she stated, enunciating every syllable with a strong sense of confidence. Neji then did the most unexpected thing. He smiled at her and tightened his hold on her hand almost _caringly_. Tenten blushed red and quickly looked away, as suddenly everyone was staring at them. Tenten kept her head low, as she heard the people around her whisper Neji's name, and mention her as the "cute brown-haired kunoichi hanging off the Hyuuga Prodigy". Of course, a little ripple of anger emerged from within her. _Hanging…off…? They…still just see me, as some no-name…_

Neji stiffened again, sensing the small surge of annoyance and the dark aura emanating from Tenten. He squeezed her hand slightly and nodded at her, and she just shook it off and smiled at her. He glanced at her with his pale eyes, studying her figure closely.

Flashbacks appeared in his mind, going back to the little girl he had met at the academy, the determined girl he sparred with for years, the one he protected and was saved by during the attack by Sand and Sound, the reliable partner from years of Chuunin and Jounin missions, and finally, the shy, teenage lady beside him, blushing.

He was Hyuuga Neji, he had never given the subjects of relationships much thoughts over the years. But recently he had. For some odd reason, his hormones, which he had somehow managed to keep in check by practically beating them down, had come back with full force, and now his mind was alit with questions.

To think, that these same question had popped up in his head weeks ago, and yet, he was no closer to finding an answer. Pity his hormones started acting so late, at the age of 18. Poor kid. You know he's gonna have issues.

They passed an electronics shop, and a glimpse of something intriguing caused Neji to pause a moment. On one of the TV screens, a young couple was hugging.

"_Oh Raphael, why, why will you not respond to my feelings?_"

"_I'm sorry Rachael, but, I, just can't! I do for you! If I get too close to you, then you might get killed!"_

"Uh, Neji? Why are you so interested in soaps?"

Neji blinked and said intelligently, "I see…"

"Come on, we have no time for such nonsense."

"But I thought you girls like—"

"Would you like to waste more of my time and die? People are staring again dammit, lets go and train like you wanted…"

"Hn…"

Tenten frowned as Neji walked off, definitely out of it. She shook her head. _Neji? Why would he be interested in those corny soap operas about corny boyfriend-girlfriend drama?_

Neji, on the other hand, was making a mental note to purchase a television set and watch this so-called "soap opera". _Intriguing thing…

* * *

_

Shino stood in the center on the rolling plains. The sunlight glinted off his sunglasses, as he took in the surroundings. _They should be here soon…ah yes…_

A bug fly past his ear, chittering excitedly. _Good…then all is going according to plan…_

On cue, several missing-nins popped out of the grass.

"Hey, look guys, it be another one of those Leaf nins we've heard so much ab—!"

They all abruptly screamed and collapsed as Shino's bugs sapped their chakra instantly. A vein was throbbing on Shino's forehead. _This is insulting my skill…hiding in tall grass…seriously…I use bugs._

"That was…pathetically easy…I really should ask for ones of higher ranking…"

Shino stalked away, as the groaning forms of the unfortunate nukenin were hauled into the air by some Shino's bugs.

Suddenly, a shadow whipped through the grass and ran past him. Shino stopped, unmoving and listened. Unnoticeably, his bugs were already tracking his new quarry through the grass. He heard a shout of anger when he felt his bugs begin attacking the target, and a burst of flame erupted behind him.

Shino leapt forward, spinning around, as several shurikens spun towards him. Without missing a beat, he caught them with his bare hands in midair, and he fired them back at their owner when he landed. The shadowy figure deflected the shurikens, and for a moment, Shino and the man stared silently at each other. The next seconds, the man succumbed, as the rest of his chakra was sapped away. Shino smirked widely, as he had no thrown the intercepted shurikens, but rather, through copies of them which were actually made up of his destruction bugs.

"…" was his famous catch phrase. And with that final word, he began striding off through the grass, as his most recent acquisition was hauled into the air by Shino's bugs to join the man's other unconscious comrades.

* * *

Shizune was in her office, playing Chinese chess with Tonton, when she realized that Valentines was only days away after absentmindedly. She abruptly got up and picked up her purse. 

"SHOPPING SPREEEEEEE!" She screamed.

* * *

Meanwhile, all across Konoha, the candy and love card merchants were suddenly receiving tingles down their spines. The love potions brewer suddenly had an odd feeling of exhilaration as well.

* * *

Shizune streaked out of her spacious office via the open window, just as Tsunade opened the door and walked in, only to find Tonton staring at what looked like a game of Chinese chess which had only been halfway finished. The pig stared innocently up at the Hokage, who cocked an eyebrow in surprise. _Is this pig giving me the innocent look?

* * *

_

Tenten sat in the small outhouse, built to give travelers a place to sit rest. After hearing some snide comments involving her and her favorite Hyuuga, her mood had taken a turn for the worst, and her spirits had dipped dangerously low for the first time in years.

She was a no one. Even being a Jounin, she was still regarded as a no one, by everyone, ranging from the peddler on the street, to her idol, Tsunade-sama.

Tenten was sitting on the lone table in the center of the small construct. She had buried her face in her arms, with her knees pulled up to her chest. She wasn't crying, so far, but inside of her, there was that feeling again, that feeling that meant she was never meant to be, just an accident along the lines of Konoha history.

Why couldn't people recognize her simply as a ninja? Was it because she was a girl? No, Tsunade was a female Hokage. Then, the more she thought about it, the more she realized how bluntly obvious it was. Her name. She had no family. No reputation at all. She didn't even know her surname.

Her life was practically an anomaly, a mishap. She had no idea where her Soushouryu scrolls had come from either. An orphan, she was told by Iruka-sensei, that they had found her as a baby, in a basket and left on the door to the Academy. Iruka had also told her she had been covered in blood. In fact, it hadn't been Iruka who found her, but rather, the Third.

The Academy teacher had merely taken care for her temporarily, followed by Gekkou Hayate, and when she was old enough, she was sent to the Orphanage, where she learned about ninjas and became obsessively interested with weapons. Well, no, she had actually gotten that after accidentally finding and unsheathing Hayate's sword while he was cooking instant ramen.

Then Tenten remembered that Hayate-sensei was dead, and had been dead for the past five years. She remembered seeing a picture of his dead body, ripped to shreds but some unseen force. She later saw Hayate's girlfriend weeping silently his grave, after bringing him flowers (A/N: if someone remembers the name of his girlfriend, she's the purple haired ANBU with the sword and brought flowers to his grave, please tell me…). Tenten would never forget that friendly, smile, complete with that sickly cough which always afflicted him. She had lost so many now.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't sense the presence of another.

"Neji-san, what are you do so far from Konoha?"

"It appeared you were running away…quite upset on that matter…care to tell me what is the _matter_?"

"Neji…I-I just w-want to be alone right now."

"Since when have I listened to you…"

He leapt up and landed neatly on the table in a sitting position beside the downtrodden girl. He didn't look at her, instead, just sat next to her in a cross-legged position.

"Why are you here?"

"You seemed upset…"

"So? I wasn't, I just need some time to brood…over things I hadn't had the time to brood over before…"

"Such as…?"

"None of your business Hyuuga…"

"So it's last name now?"

"…"

"Please tell me what is the matter Tenten, I am your teammate, and have been your best friend for the past seven years."

"Nothing is the matter."

"It's quite obvious that something _is the_ matter. I haven't known you for seven years just to allow you to be the only person who understands me…I understand you just as much. Based on the current situation, and what had aspired today during our little friendly walk, it seems you have some sort of inferiority complex, as well as wondering about why you exist in such a way, that you have no family."

"I hate you."

"I know…"

Neji found himself moving right next to the Weapons Mistress, and then, to the surprise of both of them, he gently slung an arm around her and her close to him. Neji sighed and resigned him to his fate. But Tenten, instead of stabbing him with a kunai, did not resist and merely fell against him, sobbing. She gripped his shirt as though it was the only thing that could save her. Neji stared at the vulnerable girl beside him with wide eyes.

"Tenten-san…"

"I'm so sorry to put this on you Neji, but, could you…just…um, h-hold me for bit, like what happened a couple days ago?"

Neji blinked at her for a bit, and then with a reconciled smile gripped her tightly as a yes. He was just showing concern for her as a good friend would, right?

Well either way, he would never leave Tenten in such a sorry state. After all…

_I swore to protect her, among others…_

End chapter

Don't forget to review with lots of comments! and now…

**Fire Dragon Studios is proud to present…**

**A Neji and Tenten Moment!**

**Tenten and Neji in…SAVE THE LAST DANCE!**

_**Just kidding haha…that'll be in the next few chapter once I finish planning—er I mean writing it…**_

**Fire Dragon Studios is guilty to present…**

**A Maito Gai Moment!**

**Maito Gai and Rock Lee in…RETURN OF THE DRUNKEN MASTER! AND WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER GET DRUNK WITH A GIRL THAT YOU'VE KNOWN TOO LONG! PART 1!1**

"LEE! IT IS TIME NOW!"

"Time for what Gai-sensei?"

"FOR YOU TO BECOME A MAN! YOU SHALL NOW LEARN AND MASTER THE MAITO GAI SPECIAL TAIJUTSU ART OF SUIKEN KEMPOU…THE DRUNKEN BOXING STYLE!"

"REALLY? YESSSSS! …Though I have already used some of it before…then…I WILL MASTER NOW!"

The two struck their respective poses, complete with flashing smiles, effectively blinding a confused Neji and a freaked out Tenten. The two bowl heads immediately high-tailed it out of the clearing before the Weapons Master and Hyuuga decided to beat the living daylight out of the Green Beasts.

"FIRST! WE SHALL GO TO THE NEAREST BAR!"

"YES! I AM WITH YOU!" Then Lee suddenly paused. "Wait! Master Gai! I'm only eighteen! Isn't the drinking age 21?"

"But I heard you already started anyways…"

Lee bowed his head in shame. "I am sorry, forgive me Gai-sensei…"

"NO WORRIES THERE! TSUNADE HAS LOWERED THE DRINKING AGE TO EIGHTEEN!"

"BLESS YOU HOKAGE-SAMA!"

* * *

Tsunade was sitting in her office when she suddenly felt a heavy sense of guilt. _Did I do something wrong? …Nah…_

She took another gulp of her precious sake as Shizune began chasing Tonton around with a broom, as he had stolen one of her precious needle launchers.

* * *

Gai and Lee stood outside the bar. Gai sniffed loudly. He had never been so proud of Lee.

"Lee, are you ready to take the final step in becoming a man? ARE YOU READY FOR THE FINAL STEP IN YOUR TRAINING?"

"YES GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI!"

"LEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

They proceeded to hug each other in the middle of the street, whereas people were now giving them scared looks and a wide berth.

* * *

The bar owner took one look out his window, and wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. He knew what they were here for. He was just afraid they would do more damage than they would buy. He sighed, resigned to his fate, as he turned back towards the filled up bar. And he swore loudly.

* * *

Gai and Lee rushed into the bar, with Gai hollering for a gallon of beer each. But the sight that greeted them stopped them in their tracks. Lee swore for the first time in his life, and received a supreme Gai Kick of Shame which sent him packing through the wall to his right.

Tenten and Neji were sitting at the corner of the bar, laughing and giggling together. And they looked drunk as hell.

"How did you two catch up?"

"Oh hey Gai-sensei! We're having the time of our lives! Come and join us!"

Tenten was leaning against Neji, who had wrapped and arm around her shoulders. Gai's eye started twitching. What on earth was going on? Neji was showing love? Gai's frown then turned into a grin.

"YOSH! THE DRINK OF YOUTH HAVE OPENED YOU EYES TO THE BLISS THAT IS LOOOOOOVE! YOU AND TENTEN ARE SOOOKAWAIII TOGETHER!"

Neji grinned and raised his cup in a toast, while Tenten just tittered very uncharacteristically and laid her head lovingly on his shoulder.

At that moment, Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji walked past the bar. They heard strange noises in there, so they decided to check it out. Naruto walked in and swore loudly, followed by Shikamaru and then Chouji. Hinata fainted, and Sakura and Ino just blinked stupidly, throwing each other bewildered glances.

"Is that Tenten?"

"IS that Neji?"

"O-M-F-G!"

Sakura fainted.

"I think they're drunk."

Naruto blinked stupidly, as he ventured dangerously close to the two, inspecting them. He leapt on the table cautiously, waiting for a response, and he grinned when he got none.

"Wow, the Hyuuga is tanked! Come and smell his nasty breath!"

Gai just gaped at Naruto, who was right in the Hyuuga's face, examining him. Normally, Neji would have turned Naruto into mincemeat. But as said before, he was drunk as hell. Tenten was more or less in the same state. And right now they were in public.

"Yo Gai what's—Oh…um, I'll come back later."

The Copy nin had poked his head into the bar briefly, and quickly disappeared back into the bustling streets. Naruto grinned as an idea suddenly popped into his head. He motioned for the other to come over, which they did, except for Gai, who just stood there, frozen solid.

Gai remained frozen solid as the Chuunins carried Neji and Tenten out of the bar, led by a madly grinning Naruto. Shikamaru was heard muttering under his breath that this would be the last thing they ever did, especially when Neji woke up.

Gai was then snapped out of his reverie by Lee, who had dragged himself out of the hole in the wall and tapped the older Green Beast on the shoulder.

"Can we proceed Gai-sensei?"

"Of course!"

Five Minutes later…

Lee was red in the face. Just a bit really. But the thing was, he was drunk. And so was Gai, who was now dressed in a poncho and a bamboo hat.

"See thish Lee? Thish ish mai supah sexy drinking outfit…"

Gai then hiccupped loudly.

"COOL!"

"OK LET US GET DOWN TO THE BASICS! FOLLOW MAI MOVEMENTS!"

"YESSAH!"

They then proceeded to wreck the bar with their inhuman feats of drunken fighting combined with some sort of inebriated dance.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Neji woke up with a major headache. _Goddamn hang-over_. He noted that he was just wearing boxers. He sat up and yawned, reaching for his shirt, which wasn't there. And then the prodigy felt something slide down his chest. Reluctantly, he looked down, and nearly jumped out of bed. There was now a slender arm resting in his lap. Following it to the shoulder, and then…

Neji screamed.

Tenten was wearing nothing but her underwear next to him. He tried to fall out of bed. Well, he managed to, but Tenten fell down on top of him. In the darkness of the room, he could feel Tenten's steady heartbeat against his chest. Now Neji was a very one-sided boy. He had no idea what to do with a half-naked girl. Especially one who would wake up and stab him with half a dozen kunais.

He blinked. _Well…at least she feels soft…and…warm…and…my hang-over is kinda going away._

Then the question at hand was how the hell did he get in such a compromising situation? Well, most boys wouldn't exactly call it compromising; more like, advantageous. Fortunately for Tenten, Neji was not that kind of boy. I think.

Anyways, Neji calmed his nerves (and hormones) and let the poor girl on him continue sleeping. She looked so adorable. Of course, her lack of clothing was making him start to feel rather uncomfortable. Another reason was that waking Tenten was about as safe as kicking a dragon in the balls and running off screaming in the direction of another dragon.

But Neji was a genius for a reason. He thought hard about his next move, when he noted a blinking red dot in the back of the room. Neji felt his spirits plummet. They had been caught on tape. Gingerly, he got up, with the still fast-asleep girl in his arms, and he set her gently on the bed.

He disappeared in a puff of smoke, to appear beside the camera. He reached out to grab it with a smirk, when suddenly, the camera ran away. Neji stood there blinking. In his mind, he was going like, _This has to be a nightmare…_

Dun dun dun dun dun (dramatic music)

Thank you for reading this crappy piece of garbage…

Now pls review so thatI might be prodded into writing the next chapter quickly…


	20. Chp 20 Meeting of Two Lost Souls

Asura of Love: Thanks again for reading ES…lol Tonton is not your average pig its ok if you don't understand now…u'll understand eventually lol thanks for one of the longest reviews

Kodoku: I do enjoy taking my very sweet-ass long time, don't I? Lol enjoy

Search and Seek and Destroy: (winces) owie ok ok I updated XD (staggers to phone to call 911)

Kunoichi goddess: yay someone liked the omake!

Winter Skier: I luv taking my time, don't I? well, here's the update, so hf

Ilovchappysan: ah so your chappy…nice to meet you…so which fics did you write? Ill read

Manuca: lol another massive review…so happy never touch tentne's weapons without her permission lol…and for the rest…just keep reading yes kimiko is of the ginhoshi clan…she was blinded as a baby when their estate was ransacked by the Leaf alliance…for shino and shizune..im not going to do that pairing…instead, once the plot allows KABUTO AND SHIZUNE! MEDIC NINS PWN ALL! Hehehe…couldn't resist…luv kabuto…

Omnia: thx, hope you like this chapter!

Shukido-chan: - - I wish lol…no, actually I found her name thx to help of asura of love its uzuki yuugao…hayate's gf…unfortunately, rin shortly disappeared from konoha after obito's death…and kakashi is always kicking himself for not watching over her… T-T

Limemargaritas: really? Thx that is always good to hear…

Lil-Donkey: that wasn't very fast lol…enjoy

TheGurlWithNoName: actually the anbu captain's name is uzuki yuugao…thx to asura of love lol yes I am Chinese and proud of it…actually im gonna pair shizune with kabuto and shino possibly with ino, or no one…hitomi and lee are…erm…taking a nice, romantic walk together…yeah that's it and see what they find

Spyke the Hedgehog: well if I have so many then please point them out lol…I have gone back, and I don't see any major errors…some are there for solely literary devices…sorry, I'm a creative writer im random too…but I assure u that my grammar is fine, and spelling should be close to perfect…well, I hope you find this chapter to your likings then (no I don't know who the hell peter griffin is)

Aki-child: no it is not lol XD it took place a year or two before HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA

Hibiyuru: yes indeed, neji gets all the cute girls…though kimiko is a little older than him lol…the maito gai moment, a spark of idiocy on my part XD which is why its funny lol

Sarafu-chan: uh no, kite appears again XD who is he going to kill now? Poor blind kimiko? No of course not…he owuldn't hurt a girl, would he? Well, for the sake of vengeance maybe…the nins of konoha had better watch out then…

Lol tenten is one of the heiresses…just…which clan? Lol if you want me to teach you you can try emailing me XD though there's probably not much I can teach lol…

HiKari Aki: I keep that in mind to read your fics then enjoy! Wait, u reviewed twice lol XD and yes, I joined some c2 I joined tensquared…

Mimiru-Sama: lol I thank you for your extreme dedication

Lawless priest: lol and only you know the powers of hell they can unleash! (maniacal laugh) …especially kimiko…shes uses her own chibi attacks…ph34r the cute-ness…

Yuki3x3: thx I put a lot of time into this fic…hope you like the update!

Rachel: updated as per request

Moonlightpath: (twitch) V ur horrible (lol)

Nejithecagedbird: nukenin missing nin

Iriqui: ok…now I have a bone to pick with you…why would tempering one's personal sword be stupid? It's been done through history…

Technically, most smiths use water for mass production of blades…but using other types of liquid…blood for example, give the metal a completely new look and feel…it's also a symbol of bonding one's soul to a weapon…if you read my oneshot, you'd know that tentne gives this blade to neji…its not made of her blood, it was tempered and forged with it XD read carefully and consider the options before talking…

Kiza no kitsune: wouldn't we all… (maniacal laugh) plot is rolling smoothly… still one hell of a long way to go…(cries)

Ok people…I must apologize for not updating earlier…I was gone for a week on a missions trip to mexico…where I got my sneakers stolen - - I was rather fond of those sneakers too…(cries)

Kk pps…

**Fire Dragon Studios is proud to bring back from the dead, **

**TOGETHER FOREVER**

**Chp 20 Meeting of Two Lost Souls**

funky music starts playing in the background

jkjk…

anyhow, on with the story!

Sasuke grunted as he slammed his fists into a giant boulder, leaving huge craters upon impacts. In several seconds, he had demolished the rock into millions of pebbles and fragments. Sasuke leapt about the clearing, striking the boulders he encounters quickly and kick-jumping to the next target. He timed his strikes to make a direct hit against each target, as he pictured them as enemies in his mind

He was training again, but by himself this time. He had enough of false promises of instant power from Orochimaru. Fortunately, from what he heard, Orochimaru was dead. Kabuto was apparently running things in Sound. Of course, he had been stuck in this little village, which had somewhat reminded him of Konoha, just minus all the people, bustling streets, stores, and the shinobi.

But it suited him. It suited his purposes. It was quiet, practically unknown, and had many proper training grounds near it. They just needed a little spring cleaning. He needed a home base to train, preferably a safe distance away from a major city where he could go to to find jobs. He found plenty with his particular skills. _Assassinations…escorts…all that crap…_

He sighed as he reduced another boulder to dust well a barrage of kicks.

* * *

Meanwhile, a small pair paused in the middle of their exhaustive training session and sat under a tree, leaning their backs against one another, resting in the cool, dark shade. Tenten sighed. She stared pensively at the ethereal blade of her katana. Its unusual crimson hue and unmatched slicing power made it a masterpiece on its own. But the maker wished to be considered a masterpiece among shinobis. Were shinobis tools after all?

"That was pathetic, Tenten…"

She groaned exhaustedly.

"I'm serious, that was almost as bad as you were fighting five years ago…"

"Was I really that bad when I was a gennin?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Mr. Blunt, for hurting this poor, deprived girl's feelings," said Tenten, as she sipped at her soda.

"My apologies…" He closed his eyes, as he leaned his head back against Tenten's This felt just strangely perfect, in a way he had never known.

"Forgiven…"

"That's nice…so would you like to tell me what has happened?"

"What do you—"

"As I said before Tenten, you can't hide anything from me…you're thinking about how other view you, aren't you?"

Neji felt Tenten stiffen, and knew he had hit the mark.

"Tell me, am I that obvious?"

"To me yes…"

Tenten reached past her head and pinched Neji on the cheek, who irritably growled at her. She giggled. "So what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means what it sounds like."

* * *

Gai, Anko, Kurenai, Asuma and Kakashi stood before the Hokage. Tsunade slammed her fist onto the table.

"Where is Shizune!" She snarled. Kakashi was meanwhile reading Icha Icha Paradise, to the displeasure of the women present. Anko cuffed him soundly and grabbed the porn novel out of his hands when he stumble.

She snickered mischievously, and turned to look at Gai, who looked back at her quizzically.

"What is it, my lovely flower?"

Anko's eye twitched when he called her a flower, but she continued smiling at him. She suddenly whipped up the book and opened it in his face. The effect was instantaneous. Gai was out like a bleeding log. If logs could bleed that is.

Asuma quickly moved away so the nose bleed wouldn't stain his precious army boots/sandals. He had spent all morning washing and polishing them, if one could polish sandals.

Kurenai just sighed as Anko stole Gai's wallet and pulled several bills from it.

"Hey, he owed me one…"

"You took more than one…"

"WHERE THE HELL IS SHIZUNE!"

Shizune appeared in a puff of smoke beside the disgruntled Hokage with her arms loaded with what appeared to be giant bags of grocery.

"Shizune, what the f—"

"Here, let me help you Shi-chan…"

Kakashi offered to help the medic nin with her groceries, and she took his help gratefully. Anko started twitching again. Shizune dumped three of the four bags unto Kakashi, who stumbled backwards at the sudden weight.

"Shizu-chan, what did you buy?"

"Oh just somethings…um, Hokage-sama, did you want me?"

"Yes," Tsunade sat down and smiled, "I need you, Kakashi, Gai, and Kurenai to go and find that blind girl Hyuuga brought in. Asuma, Anko? I need you to go and find the Mizukage, Lord Usaga."

Every immediately bowed and left, except for Gai, who was picking himself up from the ground.

"What happened?"

* * *

Kimiko walked alone. It was nearly midnight, and there were few people in this district of the city. Everyone else would've either gone home or to the busier, club-filled areas for the better of Konoha nightlife.

But Kimiko enjoyed these walks alone. Everything just seemed so serene, so perfect a world, that she had never known. She had already loved Konoha when she first arrived hours before. The people were so kind, and everything seemed in order, unlike some of the other villages she had visited. This village, was apparently, as she had heard, based on peace and friendship…

_Peace and friendship…some of the most volatile ones of them all…no wonder the ninjas of Konoha are so unique…_

She suddenly sensed an animal in front of her. _A dog, by the sound of it…_

"Excuse me, but…you seem to have a unique chakra signature…familiar…"

Suddenly, she felt a small burst of chakra, and in place of the dog she had sensed, was a man. She threw herself backwards into the air and flipped away as she heard the unsheathing of a sword.

She could almost see the man smirk at her.

"As expected…from your chakra signatures…you must be one of the stronger nins of this area…and yet you are blind. But, your hearing is superhuman almost. You heard me move my arms?"

Kimiko nodded and asked politely, "Why are you attacking me?"

Kimiko threw out her arms, and two kidachis slid quickly out of her sleeve, as the man rocketed towards her. She flicked the hilts out of the sheath and immediately flung the sheaths as projectiles, which the man batted away effortlessly.

Kimiko calmed down. _It has been a while since I fought…_

She twirled the moonlight-lit blades around in a series of fluid motions around her wrists. They had been family heirlooms, passed down to her after she had graduated her training. They were made of a white, luminescent metal, gilded with silver inscriptions of phoenixes along the hilt of the blade.

She heard the man reply politely, "Forgive me Miss, but I usually do not harm girls. But alas, you must be one of the heirs to one of the Konoha clans, yes? Thus I am sadly forced to terminate you…pity…I promise a swift painless one…"

"Don't underestimate me because I'm blind."

"Don't underestimate me because you don't even know what I look like."

Kimiko gritted her teeth. The man was now emitting a hellish battle aura around him, and it was driving her towards unconsciousness. She cursed silently and summoned her chakra.

The man was fast, and only her acute hearing could have placed the almost inaudible whoosh of the deadly blade. She spun around, wielding one blade at a slant to that the katana deflected away from her, as she spun a full circle, aiming to strike with the other kidachi. She was met with a bone-jarring clang.

_How did he get his katana around so fast? This opponents over my head, I'll have to activate my bloodline…NAIMENTEKI MANAKO! MY SOUL'S INNER EYE…_

She instantly felt her head spin dizzily, as she could suddenly see again. Effortlessly flying backwards away, she looked up, and saw the bright stars above, twinkling in the night sky. _It's too bad this requires so much chakra…actually, haven't used this in two months…_

Her Inner Eye warned her of an impending slash, and she hurtled into the air majestically like an eagle. She took a good look at her assailant. It was actually a young man, about her age. He looked at her with a polite smile as he stopped for a moment and abruptly saluted with his katana.

"You're fast, girl…third fastest…only Uchiha Itachi and one other was faster than you…my compliments to your master…"

"I have none," she replied calmly.

They rushed at each other

Suddenly, she appeared in front of his face. "How's that for speed?"

She coughed out a stream of blood as the man's fist slammed into her midsection in a direct, brutal blow. She spiraled through the air to land painfully a couple meters away. The man leapt up and raised his leg up and brought it crashing down as he landed.

"A Bunshin?"

"Behind you!"

The man turned around and managed to summon a wall of fire to counter the blast of water aimed at him.

"That was some fast handsealing you pulled off…"

"Thank you…you're quite skilled too, assassin…"

The man smiled at her from behind his shades and saluted with his katana. "Indeed, let us continue!"

The man flew at her, slashing away with the blade in a blinding series of motions, so fast that only her Inner Eye kept her from taking hits. _He's quite good_, she thought, as their pace began to quicken, to her amazement. _He's…he's…as good as I am!_

She slapped the katana upwards with one and aimed a stab for the heart, but the man curved around the blade and drove an elbow into her face.

Kimiko stumbled backwards, almost losing her footing as she clutched her eyes. The Inner Eye informed her that the assailant wasn't quite finished with her, so she danced backwards, dodging the whirling blades. She was suddenly having more trouble.

_Wait? Blades? Where'd the second one come from? When did he? His movements are so fast, yet coordinated, that he could draw another word without me noticing in one fluid motion?_

Suddenly, the man hurled himself to the side, deflecting several dozen shurikens with his dual blades.

Several Konoha shinobi puffed into existence beside Kimiko, who nearly collapsed to the ground, but was caught by none other than Hatake Kakashi. Another nin was glaring daggers at the man who had attacked her. He was decked out in a green jumpsuit, complete with a bowl-cut and a jounin vest. _Maito…Gai? The Famous Green Beast of Konoha?_

The Green Beast hollered at the black-suited assassin, yelling, "HOW DARE YOU! Y OU ENEMY OF WOMEN! HOW COULD YOU DARE ATTACK ANYONE AS BEAUTIFUL AND INNOCENT AS KIMIKO-CHAN?"

Kimiko's eyes widened, as she tried to hide her blush. _What? D-Did he just c-call me cute?_

Kakashi was looking at Gai with a half-freaked out expression.

"What was that, may I ask?"

"HE ATTACKED KIMIKO-CHAN!"

"…You haven't even properly met her yet…"

"Quiet Kakashi!"

Several of the ANBU started to chuckle, but were silenced when Genma arrived on the seen.

Oi, One-eye, so is this chick the girl we're supposed to pick up?"

He chewed his usual senbon, thinking, as he appraised the only female in the area. He smirked. "Too bad she's wearing all those thick robes, else I could check her out…but I can already tell that she's loaded…"

"WHAT?" screeched Gai and two other ANBU.

Kakashi was looking as though his only visible eye was upon the verge of exploding like an overheated piece of fruit. It happened to be twitching violently, so that fit the description just right…

"Wha-wha did you say?"

"Hmm?" Genma snapped out of his stare to look at the other males clustered around him. "DOBE! I MEANT SHE WAS STOCK FULL OF WEAPONS, SCROLLS, AND POTIONS!"

Kakashi nodded, looking rather relieved for some unknown reason.

At that moment, a storekeeper appeared in the window on the floor above his shop and screamed, "SHUT THE HELL UP YOU CRAZY NINJA! WE CIVILIANS NEED TO SLEEP UNLIKE YOU FREAKING MASOCHISTS!"

And with that, the old man retracted his head and turned off the light. Gai blinked, and immediately shrugged it off. "Anyawys…WE'RE HERE TO PROTECT YOU WITH OUR YOUTH KIMIKO-DONO!"

Immediately all two squads of ANBU, plus Kakashi and Genma facefaulted spectacularly. Probably the most unusual sight of all, was just to see an ultimate fighting force on the ground with one rushed comment.

…_Now that was stupid…_, thought Kakashi.

They quickly leapt up and formed a protective circle around Kimiko. Gai walked a distance towards the man in the black coat and asked, "Who are you? And why are you trying to kill this girl?"

"My name is of no importance…moreover, what's important is what I'm about to do…"

"And what is that?"

The man chuckled softly, and whispered into the cold night air, "Try to catch, yes?"

And with that, the man dropped a smoke bomb, which exploded and shrouded the area in a thick smoke.

"NOT SO FAST!"

Gai smirked and he sailed at the assailant.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"

He hurled a kunai, just barely missing the side of the man's head. The man ignored it flatly. Gai immediately shifted in midair and aimed a scissor kick. The young man whipped both arms up to block Gai's feet and immediately brought his own right foot up to strike Gai's back.

Gai landed neatly on his feet as the smoke began to clear away.

"You're stronger than you appear, Maito Gai of Konoha…not only did you dodge my kick…but…"

The man's glasses shattered, and the high collar covering the lower half of his face fell apart in shreds. But he quickly covered his face with an open hand

"You managed to launch four blows, one of which hit…"

The man staggered slightly, and coughed out some blood.

"I have underestimated you…farewell for now…"

Gai grinned in victory for about twenty seconds, before he realized that the mystery man had escaped his grasp. Kakashi smirked evilly behind his mask and patted a stupefied Gai on the back.

"At least you managed to drive him off…its just too bad that we couldn't catch him…"

"Shut up Kakashi, you didn't do anything," Gai growled dangerously. Kakashi merely waved it off, much to the annoyance of the Green Beast.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mini-me, I mean, Rock Lee and Hitomi were taking a cute little couples' stroll through one of the many parks in Konoha. Lee was walking shoulder to shoulder with the Hidden Rain girl, almost…

He was so proud of himself. _Master Gai will be so proud …sensei always said to make your girl happy! And I'm doing that now!_

Lee and Hitomi stopped suddenly, as a dark blur rushed past them. As it was midnight and dark, they couldn't see clearly. But with their trained eyes, they were able to make out the outline.

"Was that a man in a large trenchcoat?"

Lee just stared. _Wow…he's as fast as Gai-sensei…_

"…Wow…maybe Gai-sensei got a new hair cut!"

"No no, that wasn't Gai-sama…some man…I…"

She suddenly froze up. Lee stared at her shocked face.

"Something the matter, Hitomi-chan?"

Hitomi shook her head, clearing out her thoughts. _Impossible…my father told me that that specific clan was wiped out to the last man…during the Great Wars between the Shinobi Villages…_

"I'm fine, sorry, I just tend to…blank out…my apologies Lee-kun."

"No problem, but you do understand, that if you have a problem, just feel free to tell me…"

"I know that Lee-kun ," she giggled, and the couple continued their slow, leisurely walk down the bright moonlightpath. (A/N sorry I couldn't resist such a good chance to add in the last word XDXD)

* * *

Meanwhile, another so-called couple were, um…depends on the eye of the beholder…

Eye one: THEY'RE MAKING OUT?

Eye two: awww…so kawaii…

Eye three: …that's one strangely shaped log…

Gai's eye: is that some sort of new training technique? …if it's not…then…(keels over from massive nosebleed)

Fortunately no one was currently present. As their current situation were making them blush in a way unknown to man.

Well at least Neji was. The had tripped, fallen on top of each other, and Tenten fell asleep shortly after hitting Neji's chest.

"Tenten you idiot…"

Neji frowned at the girl asleep in his arms, afraid that if he moved too much, she may wake up. And for some strange reason, Neji felt that it would just not be right to make her wake up, as she seemed to be sleeping so peacefully.

The gentle night breeze ruffle her hair gently, as the moonlight shone off her pale skin.

Neji started sweating. _Why the hell am I always stuck in such stupid predicaments…?_

But he still had part of him screaming, _YES! YES! SUCCESS!_

_STFU YOU WORTHLESS HORMONES!_

Ignoring that part, he began to doze off, just tightening his hold on her and hugging her tightly to her chest.

* * *

Kite sat upon the tall wall overlooking Konoha. _Peaceful town…rarely have I seen such…_

He cleaned his katana blade of the blood of the several groups of Konoha guards he had just dispatched. _The fools shouldn't have tried to stop me…I already gave them a warning…_

Two dozen corpses lay around him, sprawled over the walltops. The battle ha taken less than thirty seconds.

He starred at his own reflection on the blade. A young man of 25 stared back at him. _Why do I feel so old and tired? …But…at least I can begin my final step in claiming vengeance and rebuilding my clan…I have located several of my targets…The Hyuugas, the last of the Uchihas were strangely absent…the Aburames…but, I wonder which clan that girl belonged to…she had some sort of bloodlimit related to vision, and her eyes were pearl-colored…so I assume she is of Hyuuga blood. The heir of the Hyuugas is a girl, yes? Well…we'll find out soon enough.

* * *

_

The escort led Kimiko into the Hokage's office once again.

"Kimiko, yes? We need to talk…" Tsunade turned to look at the blind girl, whose pearl pupils stared off into space .

"Yes…yes we do…"

"Excuse me?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, sorry! I drifted off again…just tired. I'm sorry, but I do not know who it was that attacked me…"

Tsunade blinked again, and then turned to Gai. "She was attacked? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I was trying to—"

"NO EXCUSES! Anyways…sorry…could you then describe your assailant to me? Oh wait, I'm sorry, you're…limited in your vision, sorry," Tsunade felt a small tinge of guilt for forgetting that part.

"Long, dark brown hair, tied back in a ponytail I believe…Dark brown or black eyes beneath the glasses…height…approximately 180 centimeters…was wearing a black trenchcoat with a strange symbol on its back…something that reminded me of the sun…"

Tsundae blinked stupidly. Who the hell was this girl?

"I'm sorry, but I thought…"

"Just because I am blind does not mean I cannot comprehend my surroundings! I have my own methods as well!"

Tsunade had no idea what she was talking about. A blind girl seeing?

End chp…

**Fire Dragon Studios is guilty to present…**

**A Maito Gai Moment!**

**Maito Gai and Rock Lee in…RETURN OF THE DRUNKEN MASTER! AND WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER GET DRUNK WITH A GIRL THAT YOU'VE KNOWN TOO LONG! PART 2!**

Neji snarled viciously as he hurtled after the blinking red dot marking the recorder. "VACUUM PALM!"

The blinking red light exploded spectacularly in a white display of fireworks, complete with all the screaming and yelling you usually get with them.

"NARUTO!"

The blonde pervert ran out of the room screaming, "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES THEY'RE AWAKE!"

Neji immediately heard the sounds of violent moving and whispering in the next room. He gritted his teeth, seething. _How dare you people make light of my relationship with TENTEN!_

Naruto, Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino (why Shino, many would ask), Ino, Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru were about to jet out via the entrance, but at that moment, the wall behind them exploded, revealing a furious Hyuuga clad in red boxers.

"…Whoa…nice boxers…"

Ino fainted with a massive nosebleed, as did Sakura. The guys just looked at the girls with a "WTF?" expression plastered across their faces.

"BYAKUGAN!" Veins bulged out from his temples as the very angry Hyuuga Prodigy activated his bloodline.

The remaining boys shrieked loudly and attempted to all squeeze through the door at once, but unfortunately, they got.

"WE gotta get through, come on guys, PUUUUUUUUSSSSSHHH!"

That was Shikamaru screaming frantically as Neji walked towards them, enveloping all with the darkness emitting from him.

Finally, the frame snapped, and the boys shot out of the room as though they had been stung in the arse.

"YOU IMBECILES ARE DEAD ONCE I FIND YOU!" Thundered the half-naked Neji. Yawning, he stumbled back towards the bedroom, intent on sleeping some more.

After he sat down, stitched, and laid down on the bed, he remembered he wasn't alone, as Tenten slung an arm unconsciously over his shoulders. Cusring softly, he decided to just let it be this one time, as he was too tired to do anything mean to the little girl next to him.

Neji soon went off to a peaceful world of flying pigs, rainbow flowers, and a double-bunned angel that looked suspiciously like someone he knew.

* * *

Lee and Gai whirled through the streets of Konoha like a hurricane, smashing up everything in its path. Ah, yes, the joys of being drunk.

"Am I reeeeaaaady?"

"NNNNNOOOOOO NNNNOOOOOOT YEEEEEEET, MAAAAA YOUTHHHSSSFUL ONEEEEE!"

* * *

"Um, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes?"

"We seem to be having some sort of a problem at downtown."

Tsunade looked out the window.

"…Okay, when was the last time Konoha had a natural disaster like a mini-twister?"

end sec.

Ok dammit I apologize for the long time I took, but I had a ton of crap, like going to mexico missions, and vbs for my church, and I have soccer tryouts for the next three days straight…so there…


	21. Chp 21 Yes, Lady Ginhoshi?

Ummm…hello again…Kite is very tired…soccer tryouts…they turned out to be beyond hell …and they actually last about a week…in other words…Kite just finished another beyond-hell sessions of running and soccer techs…with an emphasis on the sprinting, Kite means, running…and since school is starting, and since Kite was dumb enough to select all academic course plus one AP course, Kite will probably only be able to release one chapter every other week…possibly every week for the first month…depending on the amount of homework and if Kite makes it into the JV soccer squad…no that does not mean that you can pray that Kite doesn't make it…if you do, Kite will hunt you down and hit you with neji's 64 strikes using my 133t f33t of fury…(re-reads rant) …wow…Kite said a lot this time…(jerks due to leg spasm) daaaamn….p41n XD l3gs…burn…(falls off chair)… 

Ok…what you have just read was a rant from about a week ago…things have changed…I just got cut from the JV soccer squad about two hours ago…still in mourning…not feeling too well physically anyways…

Now to answer your reviews…I MEAN …chat with my readers! that's right, I am not answering reviews…just chatting…

Yuki3x3: lol indeed it was amusing to have neji do that enjoy…

Asura of Love: I did two VBS in fact…one in Tijuana, Mexico and another in my town… lets all hold hands and sing "amazing grace" kids LOL ours was the Serengeti theme XD ph34r the animals…lol email me or give me your email…

Winter Skier: lol exams XD what for? Lol I already have tons of homework cuz I was dumb enough to take an AP course XD

IridescentButterfly: really? Thank you hope you like this chapter…

Mirimu-Sama: yes I did…go figure XD

Kodoku: lol XD sorry about the pause…I had problems with life…forgot to pay the rent for it…

Kiza Kitsune: hmmm…we will only wonder who would dare attack poor, sweet, innocent Kimiko…only a dumbass who wants to get his ass kicked by a girl maybe…lol Hitomi will be having marriage problems soon enough…lee's gonna need to help her

Keskio: lol yes indeed, I have thought about ino and shika…but I just saw tema and shika as more…amusing…I just think that they look good together too …maybe I'll pair shino with ino…who knows lol…

Spyke the Hedgehog: lol there are several ppl who can match gai, such as itachi and kisame lol…kite isn't in the bingo book…well because he hasn't really done anything wrong…other than making squads of rain and stone nins randomly disappear XD

Chappy: lol nice chappy indeed XD

Hi: well, there are some decent male writers out there apart from me lol XD (dies) ill take that as a compliment then - -…lol hope you enjoy this chappy XD

Lil-Donkey: yes, a lot of people have been wondering who the assassin is, to my surprise XD

Manuca: lol hey sis got cut from soccer squad…but anyways…to the point…lol I like kabuto…one of my fav characters…and he obviously has some reason for sticking with orochimaru…he has doubts about following oro's commands, but he still carries them out with a large sense of duty…so something definitely happened in the past… kimiko and the mizukage? Maybe you'll find out soon and her and the assassin? Well…how'd you guess …and 25 for kite isn't that old, is it?

Search and Seek and Destroy: how about trying a large blunt object, like a very long and descriptive review? That would also help me with writing the next chappy…

Nejithecagedbird: XD shhhh…im chatting with you ppl…not answering your reviews…lol hope you like this chappy

Kunoichi goddess: they've gotten funnier? …(goes back to reread his fic) T-T not exactly what I was aiming for…lol but thx …oh yeah, thanks for making realize that I now have over 300 review didn't notice that til u brought it up lol

Twighlight: good, someone likes Kimiko! Lol

Harukakanata: lol u noticed lots of OC characters…well…more like characters from another story im writing

Just to get something out ppl…I was fairly disappointed with the number of reviews, as well as the length of them…could you ppl make them lengthier and more descriptive? With questions, suggestions, helpful crits, and requests? That would be a blessing…

…I finally found a pic of kimiko I sketched in class (I was really bored…) …once I find the time Ill scan it

**Fire Dragon Studios is proud to present… **

**TOGETHER FOREVER…**

_Chapter 21 Yes, Lady Ginhoshi?_

The escort led Kimiko into the Hokage's office once again.

"Kimiko, yes? We need to talk…" Tsunade turned to look at the blind girl, whose pearl pupils stared off into space .

"Yes…yes we do…"

"Excuse me?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, sorry! I drifted off again…just tired. I'm sorry, but I do not know who it was that attacked me…"

Tsunade blinked again, and then turned to Gai. "She was attacked? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I was trying to—"

"NO EXCUSES! Anyways…sorry…could you then describe your assailant to me? Oh wait, I'm sorry, you're…limited in your vision, sorry," Tsunade felt a small tinge of guilt for forgetting that part.

"Long, dark brown hair, tied back in a ponytail I believe…Dark brown or black eyes beneath the glasses…height…approximately 180 centimeters…was wearing a black trenchcoat with a strange symbol on its back…something that reminded me of the sun…unknown fighting style."

Tsunade blinked stupidly. Who the hell was this girl?

"I'm sorry, but I thought…"

"Just because I am blind does not mean I cannot comprehend my surroundings! I have my own methods as well!"

Tsunade had no idea what she was talking about. A blind girl seeing?

The girl bowed to Tsunade and then left the room briskly.

Kakashi whistled. "Interesting girl, eh Hokage-sama? Cute too…YEOOW!"

Anko grinned as the rest of the room's occupants grimaced. Kakashi fell on his rear end, rubbing his big toe furiously.

"What was that for?"

"That was for what you were thinking," she laughed.

Tsunade's brow started twitching irritantly. "Okay…GO FIND THE GIRL'S ASSAILANT AND BRING HIM BACK TO ME ALIVE!"

The Jounins chuckled and nodded, before disappearing in puffs of smoke or just fading into the shadows.

* * *

Kimiko lay on her bed absentmindedly twirling a curved dagger around in her hands. Tossing it in the air, letting it spin about like a windmill, she stared at it, as the whirling motion began to cause more memories to resurface, aided by the lateness of the hour…

Spinning…

And spinning…

Down it came…

Into darkness…

"Mother? Mother? Where are you?"

A little girl ran frantically around the courtyard, as flames rose up on all sides, and the final cries of the dead and dying echoing around her in a chorus of blood and vengeance.

The girl ran into a burning building, having seen shadow moving about inside.

"Mother? Father?"

The girl gasped, and a bleeding, mutilated body skidded across the bamboo floor, leaving a dark trail of crimson liquid in its wake. The open eyes, widened in horror, stared at the little girl, hypnotizing her.

"U-Uncle?" sobbed the girl softly. The corpse did not respond, but continued to stare right at her, its mouth open form the final moments of agony. The girl suddenly started shaking uncontrollably, shivering from her very bones.

"N-No…n-nooo…Uncle…"

A shadow fell upon her, the figure of a man, whose forehead glinted from the light of the fire. The hitai-ate of Leaf shone with a reddish-orange brilliance upon the forehead of the intruder. The maker of the corpse at the little girl's feet frowned distastefully at the child.

"Forgive me, little one, but orders are orders. None of this clan may come out alive. They all must die by the sword of the fire…"

The man raised a long blade and struck down. A loud clang rang out, as the five-year old stumbled backwards, a bloody blade, withdrawn from the body of her late uncle, clattered onto the floor from her hands.

"Hmmm…seems you have the mind of a warrior already…I assume I should kill you before you grow old enough to slaughter more of our country men…"

A set of shuriken flew out of the man's hand at the shell-shocked child. But another shadow dashed between them and deflected the stars right back at the leaf nin. The Leaf nin gurgled, "Impossible," before he slumped backwards, dead by his own weapons.

"K-Kimiko?"

"MOTHER!"

The child threw herself into the open arms of the newcomer, an attractive, middle-aged woman of 35. Her battle dress was soaked red with blood, both her own, as well as her enemies. Young Kimiko cried, as she clung to the hems of her mother's robes, as her mother tried to soothe her with calming words.

"M-Mother! Where's Daddy and everyone else?"

"They're trying to drive away the bad guys, okay sweetie? Don't worry, your father is one of the best, he won't be taken down so easily…now we've got to get you out of here. Here's get on my back…"

The little girl did as she was told, and her mother sped off into the smoky haze, leaping into a large mansion-style building and running down its deserted halls. Sounds of blades clashing and jutsus being shouted out could be heard ringing throughout the dark halls, a sharp contrast the environment Kimiko had been saved from. At a hall intersection, several shadow appeared and ran swiftly over to Kimiko's mother. They all saluted her, and the foremost one said, "Mistress! We are the last of the guards! Your Husband will be joining us with what is left of the clan reserves!"

They continued running down the hallways, moonlight beaming through the massive windows of the estate. Suddenly, the window to their right shattered as enemy ninjas poured in. The guards immediately leapt up, eager to defend Kimiko and her mother. The captain of the guard yelled at them to go on, while they held off the enemy shinobi.

Kimiko's mother, whose name was Lunari, nodded. Kimiko hugged her mother tightly, as she ran through the battles erupted through the halls, as more of the enemy nins poured in from every route. Lunari clasped her hands together, flying through a series of jutsus. Bolts of lightning shot from her hands, striking several nins who tried to block her escape and electrocuting them.

She rounded a corner, and jukked to the side, as a wall of blades flew at her. She hissed in pain as two shurikens lodged themselves in her leg. Almost instantly, a group of ninjas surrounded her as she stumbled, with little Kimiko clinging on. "Mom! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine now…"

A shadow passed over them, and the enemy shinobi crumpled to the ground.

"Father!"

Kimiko leapt from her mother's back and hugged her blood-covered father tightly, ignoring the red stains blossoming on her dress. Lunari smiled, as she wrenched the stars from her thigh and healed it with a jutsu.

"Dear…we must escape…the rest of the clan has been slaughter…we received word about ten minutes before the attack…"

"I know. You two must escape. I'll watch your back…and take these."

He handed Kimiko's mother several backpacks, which she shouldered.

"They contain everything you'll need, including a map of the resources I have stashed away."

"But what about you?"

Kimiko's father sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, Lunari, I can't go with you….someone has to stay back and—"

He whipped around and deflected several kunais and responded with his own. But his movements were sluggish, as though…

"You're…"

"Mortally wounded, yes, so I'm going to die either way…"

Lunari leapt up and threw her arms around

"GO NOW!"

Lunari nodded silently, as tears started falling down her pale face. She gathered up Kimiko in her arms and blew out a window and leapt through. Kiimko's last image was of her father succumbing to a wave of spinning energy blades. He collapsed in a splash of blood, as Kimiko screamed in horror. The last image was of a spinning blade lodging itself in her mother's shoulder before they escaped. Kimiko soon returned to darkness…

Kimiko was brought back to the world of reality with the help of a stinging pain on her shoulder. She looked at it, not really seeing it with her blind eyes but acknowledging its presence, and sighed. The spinning blade she had failed to catch when she went into memory relapse was now securely lodged in her shoulder, and her blood had already stained a large part of the bed, as well as her own robes. Grimacing, she wrenched the blade out of her shoulder, ignoring the biting pain. She pulled out a cloth and cleaned the blade off, setting it down on the table. She would have to ask the inn keeper for new bed sheets. The young lady sat up on her bed, as she tapped into her chakra in preparation for a healing jutsu.

Just at that moment, Gai chose to burst through the door.

"LADY KIMIKO! YOU'RE BLEEDING ALL OVER!"

Before Kimiko could say, "What?" She was whisked away.

"DON'T WORRY LADY KIMIKO EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT!"

Soon, she found herself at the hospital, surrounded by ANBU intent on guarding her person, with a disgruntled Green Beast holding her bridal-style and roaring at the medics to admit her.

* * *

About ten minutes later, she was sitting on a clean white bed in a sparkling white room. Her shoulder was all but healed, complete with a fresh white padding. _At least they got it in my favorite color…_

Kimiko rubbed her eyes exhaustedly and looked around the sparse room with the help of the Inner Eye. She assumed that this was just a recovery room, as there was nearly nothing besides a small table beside her bed. Strangely, there was a small scroll on the bed set. She picked it up and unrolled it.

She read:

_My dear Miss…_

_This is your ever watchful assailant from the shadows…I was surprised to see that you had injured yourself…_

_Well…when you're better…please come to the Daikashi Sanctuary…bring anything that you would find desirable in a duel, and then come ready to fight…_

_I'm not the type to attacked wounded, so I just left this note on your bedset…_

Yours truly… 

_Kite…_

Kimiko suddenly had a cold sensation spread through her body. The man who had attacked had just been in this room? That meant…he could probably be anywhere, possibly even outside. Maito Gai once again burst into the room.

"Lady Kimiko! I see you are unharmed! I could've sworn I sensed another presence in this room…but I guess I was overreacting. So how is your wound?"

"It's fine, thank you. My gratitude goes to you for…rescuing me," She smiled cheerfully in his direction, though she couldn't really see him. She was not going to use the Inner Eye unless she had to.

Gai struck his mighty-guy pose, and then left the room. Kimiko sighed and fell back against the pillow. Exhausted and depressed, she soon fell asleep, praying that Maito Gai would be more alert in the near future.

* * *

Neji awoke, shook off whatever happened to be laying upon him, stood up, and stretched. He then picked up what he shook off and dumped a bottle of water over it. "It" sputtered awake and proceeded to kick Neji's ass for waking it from its slumber. Neji blinked. "It" looked oddly familiar, and extremely sexy. "Its" amber hair came down in shining tresses. "It" looked pissed. Neji's brain came to the conclusion that "It" was female.

"It" happened to be Tenten. After knocking the Hyuuga Prodigy out cold in an unexpected fit of fury, she yawned, stretched, and went out of the training grounds to buy herself some breakfast. Talk about hard love. Just kidding…it was an accident that Neji let happen after all.

Anyhow, Tenten walked along the winding path back to the village as she continued to stretch out, yawning. Upon arriving, the guards posted there suddenly stiffened, as all pairs of eyes were focused on her.

"W-What?" asked Tenten, as she walked through the gate. Almost immediately the guards snapped to attention and greeted her cheerfully. Smiling half-heartedly, she waved back, still somewhat confuzzled.

Entering the village, she reached behind her, and realized that she had left her wallet (the only girl who carried a wallet) somewhere on the training grounds. She sighed, feeling too tired to walk all the way back.

She slouched dejectedly, as she plowed her way through hundreds of people. Well, no, surprisingly not a hundred. It seemed as though people were making room for her. Well at least all the men whom she encountered did. And they stared at her hungrily with wide eyes. If Tenten wasn't so freaking tired, if she wasn't without weapons, she would have mauled anyone who dared to look at her like that. That is, if Neji didn't beat her to it. Unfortunately she had left the Hyuuga Prodigy lying somewhere in the middle of nowhere with a large bump on the top of his head. He'd massacre her for that later.

But anyways, Tenten continued to walk undeterred. She brushed irritating strands of hair out of her face. It took her half-asleep brain approximately 15 minutes of strolling around Konoha before she realized the reason behind all the awkward stares. Tenten reached up and felt her hair, gasping. She must have undone her hair in her sleep.

That thought went right out her ear within the next few minutes.

* * *

Neji regained consciousness, cursing Tenten's mother under his breath. _Wait…I don't know her mother… _

He got up and shoved his hands into his pocket in a rather agitated fashion. Cocking an eyebrow, he felt something in his right pocket. He pulled out whatever it was and found that it was actually a pair of silver silk ribbons. Neji stared at them sitting in his hand for a full ten minutes before a thought finally registered itself in his brain. _…Aren't these the ribbons I gave Tenten for her 16th birthday? …Oh…must have…um…accidentally pulled these out of her hair…while I was sleeping…yeah…why the hell were we sleeping so close together?_

Neji grimaced, thinking of what Tenten would do to his already sore body after finding out that it was him who loosened her hair buns. No, not that my perverted little readers.

* * *

Sasuke yawned expressively, while perched atop a large bolder overlooking a curve on the road to Stone. _Another job…boring as hell…but more cash to burn…and another easy way to practice…_

The carriage moved slowly along the dusty path, and Sasuke's eyes followed it with some twinkling of amusement. So he had to kill everyone inside the carriage? Shouldn't be much of a problem…

He leapt in front of it and unleashed his Grand Fireball jutsu on it, toasting the carriage to cinders. But then, all of the flames went out at once and a shadow stepped through the smoke.

"Kabuto?"

The Sound nin grinned at Sasuke, as he stretched his arms in the air.

"Hello Sasuke-kun, how have you been lately, hmm? Though I must say, burning one's carriage to cinders is not a polite way to greet others…"

"What the hell are you doing out of Sound? So Orochimaru's dead now. Did he send you with a last wish to attack me?"

Kabuto chuckled, "Well actually I am no longer indentured to him. And I didn't know that you would be lying in wait for me. I'm a free agent now, in fact . Unfortunately, your fireball seems to have obliterated my cargo…ah well…just don't do it again, ok!"

Kabuto shot out of the road into the tree before Sasuke could even say, "Good-bye?"

A wind blew across the empty path, as Sasuke continued staring, his brain working overtime to figure what he had just witnessed, before realized that he would now have to find another source of lunch money.

"DAMMIT!"

* * *

Naruto ran down the streets of Konoha, through throngs of people and under the shadows of the massive buildings that inhabited the Village of the Leaf. Though people continued to send glares his way, the numbers had steadily decreased after he became a Chuunin. Finally people were giving him the respect he deserved. But it continued to bother him, just a little, each time someone stared at him with such venom in their eyes.

Naruto sighed as he walked to his favorite ramen stand, just in time to see the owner handing an extra-large bowl of miso ramen to an extra-pretty girl with long dark amber hair, almost shining black in the light. His jaw dropped. _IT'S ANOTHER SEXY BABE!

* * *

_

Tenten smiled in gratitude at the manager, who gave her an extra-large bowl for the price of a small. Why was everyone suddenly so nice to her? When she picked up her bowl, she noted with some annoyance that strands of long brown hair was in it. It took her about five seconds to realize the hair belonged to her. _I never noticed how long my hair was…wait…I shouldn't be able to see my…oh wait…oh yeah my hair buns got undone…

* * *

_

"Kimiko-san, I would like some more personal information on you, this way we can track down your assailant faster. Is that ok?"

"For the most part, yes…"

Shizune smiled at the girl, crossing her legs and picking up a notepad and pencil.

"Okay, so…what is your surname?"

"I…actually…don't know…I'm an orphan…"

Shizune looked at the girl strangely, and wrote it down.

"Really?"

"Yes…"

"Okay, and how old are you?"

"24."

Shizune blanched, choked, and practically dropped her notepad. "24? I thought you were 18…"

Kimiko's mouth curved up slightly in semblance of a shy smile, and bowed her head in embarrassment.

"Um…well, if you really don't know your surname…then I guess…I can't really ask many more questions, other than, have you committed any crime? Or done anything worth mentioning in the past?"

The blind girl shook her head.

"…Well then," Shizune frowned. They definitely did not get far.

"Is there anything you would like to confide?"

Kimiko shook her head. Shizune nodded and sighed. "Well I have one more question…does the name, Kotone, ring a bell?"

Kimiko blinked, her pearl-colored eyes looking in Shizune's direction curiously. Shizune bit her lip again. _This girl is adept at hiding her emotions…_

"What about…Ginhoshi?"

Again, the girl shook her head. It was all Shizune could do to prevent herself from walking up to the wall and banging her head on it repeatedly in frustration.

* * *

Tsunade abruptly banged her head on her desk as Shizune presented her with the fruits of her labor, which happened to be an assortment of overly dried raisins. Tsuande proceeded to scream in frustration and began hurling various objects through the room, including furniture such as a couch, her desk, and a number of cushy chairs.

The two ANBU guards looked at each other. They nodded together and quickly moved several steps away from the door. Unfortunately, two separate chairs smashed through the wall and hammered them into the opposing wall. We all do wonder who pays for repairing all these poor walls. Must be civilian taxes…- -

* * *

Hitomi wandered aimlessly through the halls of one of the mansions in the Hyuuga Estates. She hadn't seen her father for the past few days. As she recalled, the note he had left her explained that her wedding would be postponed, and that he was going away on business. Thus once again, the girl was left alone._Lee-kun has gone to train again…_

There were several things she wanted to do right now. First off, she wanted to find out who her father wanted to wed her to. Secondly, she needed to sharpen her skills as a shinobi of the Hidden Village in the Rain. Her ranking as one of the top kunoichis in all of the Five Countries was one which needed to be upheld, is Hitomi ever wanted people to look to her as someone other than the daughter of the Mizukage.

Looking out the window, she saw several of the Hyuugas training on the estate ground. She smiled slightly. Maybe they'd train with her. She had always admired their Gentle Fist style, regarded often as the strongest Taijutsu style.

She opened the window and leapt out, gently floating to the ground as she used her chakra aura to cushion herself. Striding slowly towards the ones sparring in the middle of the courtyard, she waved a friendly hello and asked if she could join.

The Hyuugas welcomed her, as they were already used to sparring with female cousins and such. She could get used to living here. Of course, she'd prefer to live in a slightly less…elaborate surroundings.

* * *

Kimiko sat on her bed, staring at the wall facing her. Well, she couldn't actually see the wall due to her blindness, but she was rather bored. She blinked. _This is getting rather bland…why are they keeping me here?_

Frowning, she got up and slipped on her sandals. Unfortunately, it looked as though they had confiscated her dress robes. Light flowed freely through the open window, as the chirping of birds were easily captured and deciphered through her perceptive hearing. She also heard pervasive swearing in the other room.

_It's too noisy here…_

With a casual glance at the window, she leapt out it. (A/N hmmm…seems like the window is the most popular way of exiting right now… )

Gai rushed in five seconds later to find an empty room. He screamed like girl and proceeded to faint in horror. Or maybe it was a stroke. Any man would get one after realizing what Tsunade would do to them after they've failed her. A surge of nurses and doctors rushed to the room to find the Green beast lying facedown on the ground convulsing.

"AHHH WE'RE UNDER ATTACK THEY'VE KNOCKED OUT GAI!"

And so, the Konoha General Hospital was thrown into a state of utter chaos after the untimely fall of the Green Beast.

* * *

Anko is meanwhile trying to enjoy her private lunch, when something large slams into her door and fails to break it down, scaring he out of her mind. After accidentally dumping the contents of her lunch onto her floor, she angrily pulled out her katana and stabbed it through the door, resulting in a yelp that sounded oddly like, "WTF?"

She sheathed her sword and opened the door to find Genma clutching at an area on his leg very close to his crotch. It happened to be bleeding profusely. Anko snapped her fingers in annoyance.

"Damn, I missed!"

"YOU NEARLY CASTRATED ME!"

"So? You made me spill my lunch. What's up?"

"Tsunade wants to see all of you Tokubetsu at once."

"Oh, ok. Um sorry about, hope this makes up for it!" She pecked him on the cheek and dashed off, leaving a stunned Genma standing by her open door.

"My leg…awww…"

* * *

Kimiko tore off her bandage and wincing, tossed it aside. _Careless…_

She walked across the town to her inn to retrieve what was left of her belongings. _That woman who questioned me…she knows of both the Kotone and the Ginhoshi…I must leave this place after I've finished business…_

After gathering her things and paying the innkeeper, she left. In her hand was the note left by that mysterious assassin. She intended to find out who this attacker was, and defeat him. Her pale eyes narrowed slightly at the thought. Kimiko definitely had an interest in this attacker, and whoever sent him.

The people around her gaped at her eyes, someone whispering to each other about an unknown Hyuuga daughter. Kimiko didn't see them, but she could sense their movements, as well as their thoughts. _I am not a Hyuuga by far…_

Tenten stared at Naruto, who was staring at her with a most intriguing expression.

"Naruto? Um, why are you staring at me?"

"Wha? You know my name? But haven't met you…"

Tenten rolled her eyes and muttered, "Of course you haven't…"

Naruto laughed, "Hah, you must have heard about my insane skills as the newest JOUNIN!"

He pumped a fist into the air and was congratulated by the owner with a bowl of steaming hot ramen. "ITADAKEMATSU!"

Five seconds later, Tenten stared at the empty bowl and blinked. The confused girl studied Naruto for a moment, who struck a macho-man pose for her. She then quickly finished what was left of her ramen and left after dropping some change on the table.

_Wow…that was kinda freaky…_

Little did the kunoichi know that several male characters were following her in the shadows…

Fortunately Tenten had no need to worry about them, let alone notice them. Another shadow quickly chased them away. The owner of the shadow then ran over to Tenten and joined in stride.

"Morning…"

"Morning Neji sorry about that, I just prefer that people don't touch my hair."

Tenten shyly tilted her head to hide her face. Neji cocked an eyebrow.

"Tenten. You're acting like a girl."

"Neji. I am a girl."

"…"

"…"

"…Of course you are…anyways…you already had breakfast?"

"Yeah, the owner of the ramen stand gave me a large bowl for the change in my pocket."

"That's good…we should go to—"

A bird suddenly flew down from the sky and landed on Neji's shoulder. Another one landed on Tenten's shoulder. They looked at each another and exchanged sad smiles.

"Missions," they chorused together.

* * *

Shizune began decorating the Hokage's room while she was away with little pink and white hearts. Oh yes, this year's valentine was going to be a blast. Genma did what he could while clutching his wound, courtesy of Anko. Shizune had promised to go out with him if he helped.

Chewing a senbon as usual, he pinned streamers on the ceiling with senbons and shurikens. About half an hour later, the room had become rather hazardous to tall people.

"GENMA WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING? IF SOMEONE JUMPS THEY'RE GONNA GET A HOLE PUNCHED IN THEIR HEAD BECAUSE OF THOSE! USE TAPE LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE!"

* * *

Kimiko stood in the ruins of the old mission building. Vines had sprouted out all along the remains of the walls, which were barely standing. _I don't think he's here yet…_

Yawning slightly, she walked over to a tree that had grown in the middle of the complex and sat beneath its shade, resting her back against its cool trunk. It was times like these, which she enjoyed. Peace, tranquility, sunshine, and nature. Alone.

She was a loner by heart and never really became close to anyone. Her mother had raised Kimiko that way. After they escaped the assault, which wiped out their clan, her mother had taught her everything she knew about combat, academics, music, and everything. But for the most part, Kimiko had been trained to fight for her life.

She smiled and dropped her duffel bags beside and stretched her arms out.

Drifting off to sleep, her last view was that of the sunlight twinkling through the branches and leaves of the tree. A dreamless sleep it was…

* * *

Snapping awake,Kimiko found herself sweating crazily. _Damn…what's wrong with me?_

She coughed once, and stifled a second. Then she froze, as her senses came back to her. Someone else was there, his or her back to the other side of the tree.

"Kite?"

"Indeed…you have finally woken…are you ready? I was surprised to find you here so soon…"

Stifling another cough, she opened her duffel bag.

"Almost." Kimiko heard the noise of a blade being prepared on the opposite side of the tree.

"Now?"

Kimiko ripped out her two kidachis and flicked out the hilts, "Now!"

Kimiko and the man flew away from the tree, which shattered spectacularly in a shower of splinters, dust, and leaves from the combined force of both their strikes.

Kimiko tossed her blades up to free her hands momentarily and flashed a handseal. _Phoenix Flame No Jutsu…_

A flaring three-part burst of crimson flames flew out from her and seared through the dust, striking the other end of the littered courtyard, causing a massive eruption on the other side. Just as her kidachis came back down, the man flew through the smoke.

Some flames were still alit on his trenchcoat, but he ignored them as he clasped the hilt of his sword, pointing his leading shoulder at her. She reversed the kidachi on her left hand, holding with the blade parallel to her forearm, and leapt towards Kite, spinning herself through the air.

_Spiral Twister Thrust!_

She hurtled past Kite just as he drew his sword, spinning around to increase the momentum.

A reverberating clash of blades ensued, as Kimiko flipped in midair and skidded to a stop several meters away. She immediately charged after finally stopping and leapt into the air, aiming to strike the man's back.

Kite spun around with unprecedented speed and dealt her a kick that sent her hurtling away. But she managed to get a hand on the ground and land safely, lightly landing on the balls of her feet, in preparation just as the anticipated blow came.

She could hear the air whistle with the speed of the strike. She threw a kidachi up and blocked, while thrusting her other forward, missing entirely. Her blindness definitely handicapped her up to a degree. But wouldn't let it bother her.

_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_

She generated three copies of herself, and they surrounded Kite.

_Pillar of Fire No Jutsu!_

They casted at the same time towering pillars of flames and enveloped the young man in them. Not wanting to leave any chance, the Kimiko's clasped the hands together and performed rapid handseals.

_Earthen Prison!_

Immediately a half-sphere of rock rose up and covered the flames and its prisoner.

_Combo End: Spire No Jutsu!_

Stone spikes rose out of the ground and stabbed themselves through the rock dome, piercing it contents like a pincushion. Kimiko panted slightly, wiping sweat from her brow, as her clones poofed out of existence. She clapped her hands, and the rocks and stone crumbled to dust. Activating her Inner Eye, she scanned the smoking area.

"What?"

There was nothing there but burnt dirt. She whirled about and threw herself back, just as the katana passed through the sot she had just been standing at.

"You have good reflexes…"

He tossed he katana to the side, and its shining blade sunk even into the dry, hardened earth. Brushing strands of hair out of his face, he took an unusual taijutsu stance. He crouched, leading with his left foot in front and straightened out. One hand he held behind his back, and another he held

Kimiko nodded determinedly and tossed her kidachis behind her. She threw her arms out and shook her long sleeves down, completely covering her slender hands. She stepped back slightly, leaning forward, as she moved her arms in a slow, fluid motion.

When he gestured to her to come at him, she took off instantaneously. Sprinting at him, she came within several meters and leapt up, kicking out with her right.

He spun around and knocked down her kick with his left and thrusting out his other hands, slamming into her midsection. Kimiko flipped backwards, and Kite took the chance to launch his own attack.

He flew in front of her, his fists flying. Kimiko, resorting to use of her Inner Eye, countered all of the strikes as Kite continued to blast away at the girl. _He's strong…_

She fired a leg thrust at his stomach, but he spun around it and grappled her, pinning her to the ground. But she kicked out and punched him in the ribcage, causing him to double over.

But Kite recovered fast. Spinning around to bring about his foot. Kimiko caught the kick, just as Kite leapt up and kicked her with his other foot.

Spiraling away, she landed on a wall and leapt off right back at the man, flailing her arms in a circle. Kite whirled about in a fluid motion and deflected her attack to the side. He grabbed her and pinned her arms behind her. She stepped on his foot and elbowed him in the face, and he grunted in pain as he released her.

Kimiko danced away from him lightly, almost effortlessly. He smiled.

"You really are something…Hyuuga…but where is that Gentle Palm technique I've heard so much about."

"What?" Kimiko was stupefied. Her? A Hyuuga? _It must be the color of my eyes then…_

"A Hyuuga I am not, but that does not mean anything in terms of my skill."

"You're not—"

Kimiko didn't let him finish, as she unleashed a barrage of icicles at him, following with fireballs.

"Fire and ice? What Konoha clan are you of then?"

"None, I am the heir to the Ginhoshi bloodline."

"Impossible…the last Ginhoshi was killed before the end of the Great Wars of the Shinobi Countries…"

"It is quite possible, allow me to demonstrate to you one final time…"

She clasped her hands together.

_Ginhoshi Clan Hidden Summoning…Lord of the Wolves Lycanus!_

She bit her thumb and splashed her blood onto her palm and slammed it into the ground. Crackling bolts of white lightning seared through the air as a portal opened. And an enormous blue and white wolf shot out of it. The Wolven King stood beside Kimiko, as she patted its fur.

"Lady Ginhoshi…you called?"

"Yes Lycanus…I require your assistance"

Kite stood there, staring in shock. The wolf had an enormous, absurd amount of visible blue chakra spiraling slowly around it. And then it charged, snarling in rage. The wolf opened its mouth, and a icy beam shot out of it.

Kite threw himself to the side, as the beam struck the ground and immediately, a cluster of icy spikes emerged from the frozen ground.

"Lady Ginhoshi…" repeated Kite softly, as he absentmindedly dodged a stream of ice particles aimed at him.

"Quite possible, Lady Ginhoshi…if all is true…then," he abruptly walked up to her and stared her in the eye, taking off his sunglasses. Kimiko blinked in a frightened manner. Lycanus bounded beside he and growled at him, which he replied with a polite smile. But then he did something she never would have expected. He got down on his knees and bowed down to her.

"Forgive me Lady Ginhoshi…I did not realize your true identity. I am deeply sorry for the trouble I may have caused you."

He stood up and walked away. He called back over his shoulder, "I owe you one. If you need anything, just give a shout…I'll find out someway."

Kimiko stood there silently, listening the strides of the young man. Sewn into the back of his jet-black trenchcoat was a familiar symbol. A sun with a spiral center.

Kimiko blinked again. What was it that she had been told by her mother? The Ginhoshi had been close allies with two other clans. One of which was the Kotone, she remembered. Her mother had shown her the seal of the Kotone. And that seal matched the symbol sewn into the man's coat.

The Clouds, having gathered around the beginning of the battle, grew heavy, and soon, the first few drops of water struck the ground. When the first drop of rain fell lightly onto her face, she remembered. Kimiko smiled brightly, as she remembered, her goal and ambition…

"Kite!"

The man turned to her and smiled, "Yes?"

Kimiko ran up to him. He held out her kidachis, and she took them, all the while her mother-of-pearl eyes blinking at his face. "Taishi-kun?"

Kite stared at her for a brief moment, before quickly turning away. He replaced his shades on over his eyes. "So what exactly did you want, Lady Ginhoshi?"

"Your…real name…is it, Taishi?"

He just looked at her, his face emotionless, as the rain began coming down hard, drenching his dark-brown hair.

"D-Do you know anyone n-named Taishi?"

"I once knew a boy named Taishi. He was killed during the Great War. I am sorry. I must leave now…"

He started to walk away, as Kimimko hugged her arms to her sides tightly, as conflicting emotion raced through her mind. Her eyes, though blind, were following his movements as he walked away through the rain.

"Kite!"

He stopped. Turning his head slightly, he looked at her.

"I…well…u-um…Taishi…h-he, was to be my fiancée…and my mother, before she died, told me, that maybe…maybe…he had too survived the war."

Kite turned to face her completely, as she gingerly walked over to him, rubbing her shoulder in the freezing rain. Unable to visualize him due to her lack of sight, she could hear every time he moved, she could sense his mood, and smell hi scent. She looked down, shyly rubbing her hands together. An unbearable sadness suddenly came down upon her, as she stuttered, "W-Well, I-I've spent much of my life looking across the lands for Taishi…I-I was hoping…just hoping, that he m-might have lived…a-as we were engaged…a-and…"

She sniffed, brushing a long strand of hair out of her eyes, as well as rainwater. She smiled softly. "I h-had always…h-hoped…that I'd m-meet him s-someday…a-and….kind of childish of m-me…but I I-imagined him h-holding me, p-protecting me…b-but he never appeared…even after all these y-years…I g-guess I was a f-fool…"

Kite studied her silently, as rain continued to pour down upon them, drenching their clothes. He blinked in surprise. He didn't know if it was just an illusion of the rain, but it looked as though the young lady was crying. Frowning, he raised a hand to her face and placed a finger on her cheek.

"Are you crying, Lady Ginhoshi?"

"F-Forgive me, I'm sorry, it's just…" she turned away, her actions filled with sorrow and regret.

Kite tilted his head, looking at her downtrodden, yet still ethereal face. He lifted her chin towards him, "You are crying…"

She stayed silent. Water streaming down her face, she made no movement to resist his touch.

"I…may have cast away the name Taishi two decades ago…but, I hope this will still make you feel better…"

Slowly, cautiously, almost seemingly afraid of harming the poor thing any further, he gently wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly in the rain. She stifling a sob, she stiffened slightly, but relaxed after a tense moment, and then buried her face in his shoulder, crying ever so softly, as the two figures stood in the rain, holding each other.

"My apologies…"

End chap.

yay for fluff XD

**Fire Dragon Studios is not-so-proud to present, the maniacal workings of Kite the Bored with…**

**A MAITO GAI MOMENT! (audience screams in horror, some die in shock)**

**We now present Maito Gai dancing in a speedo… (kills off half the remaining audience)**

**Jkjk just my little joke…**

**Maito Gai and Rock Lee in…RETURN OF THE DRUNKEN MASTER! AND WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER GET DRUNK WITH A GIRL THAT YOU'VE KNOWN TOO LONG! PART 3! KITE THINKS HE SHALL CALL THIS ONE…(the author thinks…and thinks…and gets a soda…and thinks some more…before coming up with…)**

**Presenting…**

…**PART 3! XD**

Rock Lee stood atop a hill, with Maito Gai facing him on a nearby hill. The distance between them was about 20 meters, and both were still drunk as hell. The winded blew about their respective robes, the hems flittering in the wind. The two were striking martial arts poses, switching every other minute.

Kakashi happened to be lying between the two hills and staring up at the sky in a rather bored fashion, as suddenly the two Green Beasts began duking it out in a massive aerial dogfight. Kakashi eyed the blurs bemusedly. _I never knew that Lee could move that fast…they look drunk on that note…_

He smirked to himself in a rather amused fashion.

"LEE!" Gai flared his fists out at the mini-me in front of him.

"GAI!" Lee fired a flurry of hyper-speed kicks at Gai

"I THINK KAKASHI IS MOCKING US! WE MUST GET HIM!"

The two landed on the hill and stared down maliciously at the Copy-Nin.

Kakashi went like, "Huh?"

Soon after that, the hills became alive with the sounds of screaming.

* * *

Neji woke up with a start. After receiving some much-needed sleep, his brain had managed to regenerate to the point where he realized that he wasn't married yet, and that he had no intention of getting married, but he happened to be sleeping in a rather large bed, a queen-sized one, and on top of that, he had a girl slinging an arm around his chest.

He narrowed his eyes. _I'm going to kill Naruto…_

He sat up blinked, reached over to the dresser, and found his pants. Then he put on the rest of his typical Hyuuga-wear.

After he was down freshening himself up, he knelt down beside the bed and stared at the seemingly fragile girl with the two hair buns.

_Hmm…Tenten seems rather tired…she's still asleep…_

And Neji continued to study her. Following the method of scientific problem solving, he observed the adorable little thing.

Technique 1: Identify the known facts

Neji peered curiously at the thing.

…_It is female…it has brown hair…the hairs have been tied into buns…young girl a year younger than me…the female is well-developed…she has curves…I should not be doing this…talks in her sleep on occasion…needs weapons…irresistible smile that will fatally charm any male other than me…_

Technique 2: Define the answer required

…_I need an answer? Uh…how about…what this girl means to me…_

Technique 3: Develop possible solutions

_She's a good friend? Probably… She's my soulmate? No…not possible…hmmm…future girlfriend? Maybe….wife? …don't think so…_

Technique 4: Analyze these solutions and determine the correct answer

…_Urge to go kill my science instructor…_

_anyways…um…friend…is definitely one…at most girlfriend I guess…_

But a small voice at the back of his head screamed, "HELL NO!"

…_ok…girlfriend…_

Technique 5: Develop the individual steps to arrive at the answer

…_I have known her for most of my pathetic excuse of a life…I trust her more than I trust myself…She's my best friend as given…I only spar with her (occasionally Lee)…and she's a hot girl…_

Technique 6: Solve the problem.

Neji blinked. There was no way in hell that he would ask her out….no way…

Unless…

"Tenten, will you go out with me?" he asked the sleeping girl. He prodded her cautiously, and when she failed to stir, he smirked widely.

Technique 7: Evaluate the results

_The result is a complete rejection from Tenten… _

Neji made a mental note to revisit his old academics instructors. He needed to test out his new theory on them.

Neji then realized what had just done. He slammed his head into the bedside. Such was quite painful, considering the wooden frame was oak. Fortunately, the tremors caused by the obtrusive movement did not stir Tenten from her sleep. She merely turned away from Neji, who frowned, he flipped over the bed so he could stare at her face again. Unfortunately, this was a trap set by the weapons master, and Neji found himself face to face with a fully awake Neji.

"Soooo…having fun staring at my adorable face?"

Neji managed to twitch his eyebrow in response. Tenten smiled cheerfully, for a person who had just been studied by a Hyuuga for the past hour or so.

* * *

Naruto sat outside between Shikamaru and Chouji. They were staring at the screen on the videocam in his hands. Naruto was grinning wildly and snickering from moment to moment. Shikamaru on the other hand, merely shook his head in exasperation.

"He knows we did it Naruto…you know he's going to go after us one time or another…and you know…he'd kick all our asses with one hand tied behind his back…"

Naruto struck Lee's infamous Mighty guy pose, complete with flashing teeth and victory sign.

"But I beat him!"

"…You were lucky as hell back then. He won't let you win this time."

Naruto crossed his arms and spat, "Says who?"

"Says I…" Neji walked into the clearing, "Hello my friends…"

Naruto led the others boys on their escape route towards the direction. They were stopped by none other than a smiling Tenten.

"Hi boys!" She smiled cheerfully as she activated a trap.

The boys screamed as the ground beneath them gave way, and they tumbled down into a deep mud pit. Neji and Tenten stood side by side, smirking at their quarry.

"Nice trap Tenten…"

"That's not all, Neji-kun, watch!"

Naruto and co. screamed as Tenten whipped out several beer bottle and used them to make Molotov cocktails.

"PLEASE NOOOO!"

Tenten smiled happily as she snapped her fingers and lit the rags attached to the bottles.

"Uh, Tenten?"

"Yes?"

"We're not trying to kill them. We just here to punish them."

"Oh, okay. We can just leave them stuck in the mud for a couple of days…"

"Sounds good, let's go get lunch, I'm starving."

Naruto groaned, as his stomach growled like an animal.

"Soooo huuungry…"

end part 3


	22. Chp 22 Revealed?

Winter Skier: nejiten…hmmm…wait til they finish their latest mission…and joy more clans coming at ya!

Spyke the Hedgehog: actually I read confuzzled somewhere and liked the sound of it lol

Kiza Kitsune: XD poor Kimiko indeed lol…kite just had a deprived childhood…just wait til someone asks him about social lives.

Chappy: XD haven't heard from her In a really long time…

Kodoku: lol u were one of the first to review my update of YGG thxs…though im kinda disappointed with the number of reviews…yeah lol kite is probably going to end up with Kimiko…

Yuki3x3: lol XD sorry I was rushing…hope this chapter is better

KaiKaiCutie: lol sorry I had hw…hope u still enjoy this chappy

Youkou: u lazy bum XD lol people seem to like kite and kimiko's interactions

Harukakanata: thxs! Indeed nejiten rox the house…

Manuca: lo sis Kimiko had a rather sad childhood, didn't she? Lol XD of ocurse she's 24 XD she was born during the great wars XD so she's about as old as kakashi…kite likewise…hmmm…Kite vs neji/hinata/hiashi coming soon? LOL and neji wasn't feeling right in the mind at that moment yes kabuto, sasuke, and genma all get to play amusing roles in this fic…

Lol XD hope I do better on the ryouts next year XD and pray that I make the tennis team next spring lol XDXD ja and email lol XD of Love: XD lol u haven't emailed me yet XDXD lol Kimiko doesn't want anyone to know who she is, as she is well aware that the ginhoshi has many enemies that believe the clan to be completely wiped out…lol XD sorry about the nejiten thingy, ill move back to them after this specific loop in the plot XDXD lol anko just pecked him on the cheek XD nothing serious

Search and Seek and Destroy: lol XD I shall learn to fear u then - -…

Hikari Aki: Japanese? Lucky…and kimiko's not a dude she's a cute little 24-year old girl…lol enjoy

Crasiness: azns unite XD

Lil-Donkey: u may never know when gai attacks…we shall all hide in our beds fearing the power of the green speedo…

Neji x Tenten: thx lol the two are quite amusing/adorable aren't they?

Kk, I have to apologize for not updating sooner…I was put off by both the amount of hw I had accumulated and the lack of reviews for my longest chapter yet XD lol im so greedy

Ok…to those concerned with the lack of nejiten…um…in this particular loop, im introducing kite and Kimiko, heirs and survivors of the ginhoshi and the kotone…so they're kinda important XD

In this chapter, we will introduce another canon character whom im rather found of…. Like tenten, she is practically background noise in the canon plot…but I love her too dearly not to include her in my fic, also due to her relationship with…another one of my fav characters who would've been more than just background noise if he had survived…(okay…probably half of you now know who im talking about now XD)

Again…the idiot author must apologize for not updating…school was hell…I have mastered the art of sleeping with my eyes open…which is why all my notes look like chicken scratch - -; not doing too well in school…must keep my gpa up XD

Yeah so presenting

**Together Forever_: Chapter 22 Revealed?_**

Neji was swearing. He was streaming obscenities as fast as possible. And he was doing all this in his head. On the outside, he was cool-headed, calculating Hyuuga Neji, as he knelt on the grass atop a tree-covered cliff overlooking a forest. He was leading his team, deciding the attack pattern they would use.

Half his brain was actually conspiring of a devious way to dispose of that idiotic ANBU newbie she-man who had once again landed in Neji's cell. Neji rested his chin on his hand, his Byakugan searching out all of their targets.

DAMN THAT ANBU SON OF A GUN!

While thinking of the devil, the aforementioned walked in behind him silently and tapped his shoulder while he was busy seething.

Neji leapt up and nearly yelped in shock, but instead he turned and glared at the pony-tailed ANBU. Neji swore that the man was laughing at him under his mask. Lee bounded beside him, with the usual grin on his face.

"So cellteam leader-san-senpai-sama, are we ready for combat?"

Neji flicked an obscene gesture at him to shut him up, which Lee instantly took and closed his yap. Neji slapped his hand against his headband, thinking why Tenten never seemed to be assigned to his team.

She was the only person whom he could work with without wanting to kill. The thought of Tenten sent a small flicker of a smile across his face, catching the two in front of him off guard.

"Neji, you look funny when you smile."

A vein in Neji's temple pulsed, as he decided whether to kill Lee now or later. He assumed that killing him now would only give him a team minus one man.

Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder, "Neji-sama? Tsunade-Hokage said that it was ok for me to accompany you and Lee on this mission."

Neji turned around and screamed.

* * *

Naruto grinned as he stared down his opponents. His mission was to take down a group of bandits by himself. 

"That's it, how about all of you losers come at me together?"

The bandits snarled and charged him, waving their swords above their hands. Naruto grinned even more as he clasped his hands together.

"Kage Bunshin NO JUTSU!"

About five seconds later, the group of bandits had received the worst beating of their life, courtesy of half a dozen Naruto's.

"Daaang, that was almost too easy."

Naruto struck his own version of the mighty guy pose right then and there. And at that moments, the hills around him suddenly swarmed with more bandits. Naruto swore loudly before creating more copies of himself.

"COME AND GET IT YOU FREAKS!"

And the hills were then alive with the sounds of screaming.

* * *

Kite sat underneath a cherry blossom tree, as Kimiko stirred drowsily beside him. He stared quizzically at the girl. She had mentioned something about being his fiancée. Frowning, he wrote a note to himself to bind out what exactly this, so-called "fiancée" was. _What is a fiancée?_

This strange girl, who claimed to be the heir to the Ginhoshi name, had indeed piqued his curiosity.

Cautiously reaching over the girl, he grabbed a hold of her duffel bag and began to search its contents. He first pulled out her two primary weapons; those twin blades called the kodachis. Sliding them gently out of their sheaths, he examined each one closely. _Gold-inlaid designs…of wolves and dragons…cutting edge was hammered, not sharpened…very good quality…_

But then of course the quality of the blades didn't really mean a thing in perspective. But that certainly wasn't Kite's opinion as he continued to twirl the kodachis (AN after several repeated requests that I started calling kidachis kodachis I said what the hell and did so…) around.

Suddenly he sensed someone entering his awareness circle. In a flash, he disappeared as a group of ANBU approached the ruins. When they reached the center, they merely found the remains of a battle and the young lady sleeping against the trunk of the tree.

The ANBU surrounded the girl, as the leader stepped forward to feel for a pulse.

"She's just asleep. But it looks like some sort of fight occurred here. Hmmm…hey, it's that girl who Hokage-sama told us to look out for…"

"We'll take her back then?"

"Yes…but first it appears we have a visitor."

Kite materialized out of the mist. Through his glasses, he stared at the leaf nins with a gaze of utmost hatred.

"If you leave now, I will not pursuer you…"

"Fat chance. Who are you? You are not wearing any—"

Kite took out a scroll and unfurled it with one hand. The ANBU blinked at it. But the leader recognized it.

"Impossible…you're…"

"That's right, now leave…"

"My apologies, but we cannot do that. As ANBU of Konoha, we must arrest you. Nukenin Kite…you are now in the Bingo Book. Class-S nukenin from the Kotone clan…"

"You have ten seconds. Get lost." The Kotone seal disappeared beneath the trenchcoat's sleeve.

"I think not, unless you're coming with us. Either in chains or a body bag. Your choice."

Kite smiled ferally, his air of coldness heating up. "I'm sorry, but I'm not good at multiple choice. I prefer open response."

The ANBU dashed apart form each other as Kite drew his katana and sprinted at them. Kite immediately grinned cheerfully as he sprinted straight to Kimiko unhindered, and with a flash, they were gone.

The ANBU regrouped under the tree.

"Ok…that was unexpected…"

"…We don't need to tell about HQ about this right?"

"Yuugao-sama will kill us if finds out."

"If I find out what?"

The ANBU turned around to see another ANBU squad appear behind them. The leader of that squad took off her hood and mask, shaking loose long tresses of a deep purple.

"Gah ah, um, Uzuki-chan, so how was your mission? Smooth yes?"

Uzuki knocked him out and turned to the next ANBU, her vibrant eyes piercing the man.

"Well? Who was that figure who just left?"

"W-Well Uzuki-sama, um, we met that Kotone character…and…um…he escaped…yeah…"

"And?"

"And what?"

He was knocked out with another smack. The first ANBU began trembling in fear as Uzuki began to go into PMS-ing mode.

"Okay okay calm down please Yuugao-sama-hime! Kite kidnapped that girl Hokage told us to watch out for when he escaped!"

"WHAAAAT?"

Uzuki summoned a large metallic club. The ANBU present looked at the blunt object with widening eyes behind their masks and several make obscene curses about Uzuki's mother. That merely made her take out her chain whip.

The ruins were soon alive with the girly shrieking of the ANBU.

* * *

"WHAT THE #$&—" 

Lee happily clasped a gloved hand over Neji's mouth.

"Neji, that is so unlike my greatest rival! We must be silent hunters!"

Then Lee realized whom Neji had been screaming at. Hitomi brushed a strand of azure hair out of her eye as she happily greeted her to-be-boyfriend. Lee let loose a ground-shaking screech of terror. Amongst the trees in the valley, Konoha teams could be seen peekign their heads out towards the sourceof the noise.

Hitomi stared at Lee. "D-Did I do something w-wrong Lee-kun?"

Lee fainted before he could reassure her with an answer. A long, pregnant pause proceeded the action.

While waiting for someone to break the silence, let us describe the surroundings and the mission . The sun was shining down brightly. There were several flocks of birds, including one suspicious cloud of morbidly obese crows.

The Konoha squad was consisted of Neji, Lee, the strange ANBU from their last mission, two other ANBU, two medics, and now Hitomi. Oh yes, and don't forget Shikamaru, who was currently asleep.

The mission is currently regarded as what Tsuande had termed "surprise". They'd know what the target was when it hit them. Definitely would not keep them bored.

* * *

Anko snored loudly while Kakashi sat beside, admiring her slender, curvy body—I mean—he was keeping a watch for their target. The two Tokubetsu Jounins were taking part in the mission that included several teams, including the one led by Neji. The mission was… 

"Kakashi…has the target arrived?"

Kakashi quickly jolted out of his drool inducing fantasies about Anko and looked seriously past the branches.

"Well, I'd need to know what our target is in the first place."

"…You mean we still have no idea what we're waiting for?"

"No…go back to sleep…"

"Mhmm…"

Anko abruptly fell asleep again. Kakashi smiled a perverted smile and took out a camera. That was when he realized Mandra didn't approve of masked perverts with cameras.

"ANKO-CHAN YOUR STUPID SNAKE IS ATTACKING ME!"

* * *

Kite ran through the woods. _She's heavier than she let's on…_

A very-vulnerable seeming Kimiko slept the trip away on Kite's back.

_Or maybe it's just her clothing…I wonder if she would mind if I discarded the unnecessaries…_

But then, based on his very limited experiences with the opposite sex, he had no idea how she would react. Fortunately, that could be counted as a plus in most cases.

* * *

Uzuki Yuugao sighed in relief as she left the ANBU headquarters. She had just finished a tiring three-day mission, and when she got home, she was going to fall on her bed, maybe reminisce about Hayate until she cried herself to sleep, and then sleep in. 

Upon reaching her condo on the third-floor of the complex, she found that the closed door was unlocked and slightly ajar. _Not a good sign…usually when I find a door like this on a mission it either means no one's alive to close it, or I'm expected…taking into account this is my home…then…_

She whipped out a kunai and opened the door slowly. Stepping in, her eyes quickly scanned everything in the living room. Everything seemed fine. The red glow of the setting sun lit the room from the double sliding windows to her deck outside. The crimson glare flashed off the smooth surface of the table in front of her couch and television set.

Everything seemed to have been left in place…except…

She turned into her kitchen and found a small, neatly wrapped gift with red ribbons. In the shape of a heart. She sighed. A valentine gift early? Or another lovestruck admirer. She had hoped, after publicly rejecting the advances of Kakashi, Genma, and Jiraiya (oh my lord she nearly had a heart attack when he came after her) that this would discourage other suitors from further distressing her, but apparently it hadn't helped. She sighed.

Didn't anyone realize how painful it was to even think of getting another boyfriend? Hayate was practically her fiancée, after all, her parents had already begun planning the wedding out for her. They didn't tell her that they started until Hayate accidentally popped in for a visit without knocking and found her parents huddled over suspicious plans, which Uzuki immediately confiscated through a series of war games with her father. Indeed war games. They took apart the house and nearly killed Hayate with a flying frying pan.

Her deep, somewhat saddened eyes stared at the gift with a growing moistness that could not be explained thoroughly enough. She took a turn past her spacious living room and down the hallways, towards her bedroom. Entering, she closed the door behind her with a sigh and leaned back against the cool wood. Clouded by emotions, she had trouble clearing her mind as she walked towards the bed, intending on throwing herself onto it and instantly falling asleep. But suddenly, she found arms wrapped around her.

"Happy Valentine's Day," whispered a voice in her ear, a voice that seemed oddly familiar, yet oddly foreign. She snapped awake and instinctively slammed both elbows into the midsection of the stranger as she leapt away, whipping about. A cloaked man was standing in her room. And she was alone with him. Yet something prevented her from pulling out a kunai and stabbing the intruder to death.

"Who are you?"

"Someone who should be dead, but fortunately is not," the man gave a soft chuckle, "So I see you're still as feisty as ever eh, Yuu-chan?"

Uzuki blinked. Who was this man? Her guess shocked her more than anything.

"G-Gekkou?"

The man whipped off his cloak to reveal none other than Gekkou Hayate, Tokubetsu Jounin of the Leaf, and of course, her thought-to-be-dead-boyfriend.

"Indeed…long time no see…" The young man smiled good-naturedly. Hayate looked slightly older, more tired, though the bags under his eyes had gotten slightly smaller to Uzuki's relief, and he hadn't coughed yet.

Uzuki stood there for a couple of seconds, staring at the person sitting on her bed. She still couldn't believe it. After Gekkou had been killed during the Chuunin Exams four years ago, she had been the one to find his ripped up body. Now he was sitting in her room, whole, just like old times.

Tears were forming, and before she knew it, she had launched herself at the room and tackle-hugged a not-very-surprised Hayate, who made no effort of resist. Just seconds later, she was sobbing into her coat, and he was laying there, patting her back soothingly, apologizing softly.

"I'm so sorry I made you wait Uzuki-chan. For that I apologize…. from the deepest end of my heart…" He hugged her head to his chest, smelling her long purple tresses for the first time in four years. He held her for the first time in four years.

"W-Why…where did you disappear to? Why did you leave me? And m-made me think you were d-dead?"

And Hayate sighed as he began to recall the past four years. After faking his own death with an almost unknown, hidden jutsu, he snuck off. Well he had to. He had been forced to sacrifice three quarters of his life force in order to use the jutsu proper. Thus he was wandering around the Five Shinobi Countries, more dead than alive, as he waited to recover. On top of that, he had felt the need to find a cure for his chronic illness. That illness had restricted him from his full potential, nearly killing him in the fight against Baki.

He was unsuccessful. Taunted by his failure to find a cure, Hayate had become somewhat of a ronin/shinobi. Because of his frequent use of the katana, many of his employer thought him to be a samurai. But he was not. Through hundreds of missions, he had accumulated a great amount of solid combat experience, allowing him to prefect his techniques and strengthen his body physically and mentally. For four years his led this mercenary lifestyle, fighting for the highest price, and occasionally helping out his beloved Leaf whenever his mission allowed (he accomplished this by taking all the request for assassinations in Cloud, Sound, and Stone, but whenever he found a request for assassination in Leaf, he would pretend to be hired and then kill the employers).

"Well, what are you waiting for? Are you going to fall asleep on me or open that gift?"

A slight snoring sound informed him that Uzuki had prematurely decided on the former. Flashing a confused expression at her, he slumped backwards and fell asleep as well.

* * *

Neji lay on his front in typical bored fashion. Indeed he was bored. The highlight of the day was finding out that he would be working with that infuriating ANBU again, as well as finding out the Hitomi would be part of the mission halfway thorough. 

Currently, the most annoying thing was the fact that Lee and Hitomi were doing things somewhere behind him, and he could hear them going at it. At least that's what it sounded like. Neji was too afraid to look. Grinding his teeth he heard Lee let out some strange form of a yelp, followed by Hitomi giggling.

* * *

"UZUKI-SAMA! UZUKI-SAMA!" Uzuki Yuugao awoke with a start, feeling around for a weapon cut to pieces whoever was dumb enough to wake her. Blinking, her eyes gradually adjusted to the light and looking to her left, on the bedside table was the small heart-shaped gift. _From Hayate-kun…who is alive…_

That thought alone steeled her for the rest of the day, and she jumped out of bed happily.

"UZUKI-SAMA! TSUANADE-HOKAGE WANTS YOU! COME TO THE TOWER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!"

Uzuki smiled as she shut off the speaker, which allowed messengers to walk up to her steps and wake her up (it wasn't her idea). She quickly ran to her closet and whipped off her shirt with one had as she opened the door.

* * *

Genma was hurrying through the streets, arms loaded with grocery bags as he tried to keep up with Shizune. Both of them, as well as everyone else around them, jumped about threemeters into the air (both shinobi and civilian) as a piercing scream shattered eardrums around Konoha. 

Tsunade picked up the remains of her sake bottle in annoyance. "I presume that was Uzuki-san?"

The ANBU nodded nervously. The two other ANBU flanking him were also shaking.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside Yuugao-chan's condo/luxurious flat… 

Hayate was sitting cross-legged in the middle on Uzuki-chan's large, expansive closet (complete with rotating hanger system). He stared at her with wide eyes before he realized what he was looking at. He shot backwards as a spurt of blood spilled out of his nose. Uzuki quickly let out another slightly less dangerous scream as she quicky snagged a coat and covered herself up.

"Hayate…?"

"…Um sorry? I thought someone was outside the window…so I hid here…I didn't think you were that—"

WHACK!

"…That actually hurt Uzuki."

"…Pervert…"

"…I wasn't trying to…"

A long uncomfortable silence followed. It was a rather awkward moment, with Hayate sitting in the middle of the revolving hanger-system while Uzuki was blinking at him while clutching her shirt to her chest.

"…I suppose that I should go and make breakfast?"

Uzuki looked confused for a moment, and then smiled, nodding. IN the blink of an eye, he was no longer in the room. Seconds later she heard the stove in the kitchen turn on as Hayate proceeded to make use off his l33+ culinary skills.

"I forgot how good you were at cooking…" Uzuki mused as the two leapt across the rooftops. Gekkou laughed.

"And what else did you forget about me?"

Uzuki flushed pink. He poked her playfully on the cheek.

"I was only joking. After all, it was sort of my fault to decide to leave for so long."

She grinned and fell back a bit, unnoticed by him. The purple-haired kunoichi proceeded to jump on Hayate's back and he nearly tripped over a walled roof. Hayate merely snorted in amusement as he gave his ex-former-girlfriend a piggy-back ride.

* * *

Neji blinked tiredly. Where on earth was the so-called "surprise"? 

Apparently he had thought too soon. The next thing he knew, he was blinded by a blossoming orange, mushroom-cloud explosion. It disappeared as abruptly as it appeared.

"_Team 2, are you there? Over…_"

Neji sighed and pulled out his radio transponder. "Team 2 captain, Hyuuga here, what is the situation? Over…"

"_We have no idea…HOLY SHIT WE NEED SUPPORT!_"

The transmission suddenly turned began to waver and the sound of battle could be heard. Soon the line died and became static. Neji was now wide awake.

"TEAM 2 GET DOWN TO THE VALLEY PRONTO!"

Neji, without hesitating, launched himself off the cliff, soon followed a by a fully-awake Lee and the ANBU's. The medics, after waking, quickly assembled their kits and took off after their team.

The surprise turned out to be a group of ninjas. But they were not bearing any mark of any particular Village.

Neji flew at the nearest one, who's black cloak swished as he turned around to face the Hyuuga. But that strange ANBU beat him to the cloaked shinobi.

* * *

Sasuke swore under his breath as his whipped around with the awkward cloak. Whoever was charging at him was pretty good; he didn't notice the challenger until he was within striking distance. His eyes widened as he saw that it was Hyuuga Neji, someone he hadn't seen for years. Someone he had never wanted to see again. 

To make matters worse, he was suddenly blind-sided by a leaf ANBU. He didn't want to fight his old village, but he was already a nukenin. His eyes flashed dangerously as anger bubbled up inside of him. _If they want to die, then let them come…I am the strongest…_

The ANBU whipped a katana out of nowhere, and Sasuke easily ducked it, smirking. Until he noticed that the ANBU was swinging a kodachi with the other hand. Sasuke's forearm guard barely made it up in time to block, as the shinobi attacked with such ferocity that he could feel the jarring of the metal shaking him down to his base. But he would not be defeated by one of these masked ANBU.

With a roar, he launched his right arm up, to jab the nin in the chest, but the ANBU danced away lightly, his long ponytail swishing in the wind. Sasuke smiled as adrenaline surged through his body. It had been a long time since he had met someone he managed to dodge one of his attacks.

But there were more targets to kill.

"CHIDORIII!"

The ANBU flicked several shurikens at him, and then performed a duplication jutsu, and Sasuke found a swarm of stars flying at him, whistling through the air.

Sasuke shivered in anticipation. It really had been too long since he had a good fight. Fearlessly, he flew at the swarm, drawing out a single kunai with his chidori-less hand. With blinding speed he deflected every single shuriken flawlessly, complete with a nonchalant smirk on his face.

The ANBU must have been shivering in fear under that masked, he assumed, as the Leaf nin stared at his glowing raikiri, the disintegrating power of the chakra in the palm of his hand.

The ANBU suddenly whipped out a scroll and help it in front of her. Sasuke turned on his sharingan and saw that chakra was concentrating in the scroll, flowing from her body through her arm and into the hand holding the scroll. A bright flash suddenly erupted from the scroll, blinding his sharingan.

Neji whipped up his arms in time to shield his Byakugan from the flash emitting from the scroll. When his eyes re-stabilized, the ANBU was holding a massive pole arm, a full meter taller than him, with gold designs of a dragon crawling up the long, elaborate blade. The pole was dark shade of blue with a black grip taking up approximately a third of the handle. The ANBU coldly held it out in front of him, facing down his opponent.

Neji then took another look at the ANBU's opponent and did a double-take.

_Shit, it's that traitor…Uchiha…what the hell is he doing here?_

He knocked an enemy ninja without taking his eyes off the sharingan-user. What on earth was Sasuke doing with a group of rogue shinobi? Oh yeah, he was a nukenin after all.

He'd leave it to that ANBU to take him. If not, then Neji would kill the Uchiha with his own hands. As he ran towards another cloaked intruder, he wondered where Tenten was.

* * *

Tenten dodged every blow her opponent sent at her, spinning in and out of the duel with her nimbleness. She lashed out with her weapon, its massive blade slicing through the air. 

It was blocked by a curved kunai, and she jerked to one side to avoid the other. She grimaced, leaping over another swipe and landing behind her opponent, who appeared to predict her movement and was already making another attack. She blocked it with easy and walked forward, whirling her bladed pole about her in wide circles

Once again, her amazing gracefulness evaded the brunt of the attack, almost curling around the blade as it traveled through the air. She landed as spun around, whipping her weapon about, its massive blade glinting in the rising sun. And once again, it was parried, but this time she was struck by the blow, though she managed to twist slightly so that it missing striking a vital spot.

Beneath her mask, she could feel blood rising up her throat as searing pain sent shockwaves through her body and forced her to drop her weapon. The man drew the his bloody hand out of her body, but she grabbed his arm and plunged a kunai through the elbow joint, drawing a curse from the man, who slammed a fist into the side of her head with superhuman strength and she felt herself lift into the air.

* * *

Neji watched in horror as the ANBU fighting was struck by the chidori. In a last effort, the ANBU grabbed Sasuke's hand and whipped out a kunai with such blinding speed that even Neji couldn't see his movement. There was a small movement, and the ANBU suddenly sailed through the air towards him, his mask flying off. Then Neji realized it was a girl his age. A girl he knew all too well. 

Instinctively he caught her as she fell towards him. Kneeling, he let her rest her head on his lap as he frantically tried to put together all the pieces: the long ponytail, the affinity with weapons, and the almost unnoticeable feminine side. Neji realizes he had rarely, if ever, seen Tenten with her hair down. He never noticed how long her hair was. Now wonder he thought the ANBU acted strangely feminine.

Now the girl he swore to protect lay bleeding on knees, soaking his robes with red as the blood seeping form the gaping hole in her stomach. Her cracked mask of a falcon lay in pieces several meters away.

"Tenten…why…are you in the uniform of ANBU?"

She looked up apologetically, giving his a small smile, as a trickle of blood seeped out the side of her mouth. Her face was beginning to pale from blood loss, becoming an unhealthy shade of white.

Tenten coughed, sending a shower of blood flying out of her mouth. Strangely, the pain was beginning to go away. Or was it just due to the fact that she was about to die? Looking up, she stared into Neji's eyes, which were different from any other time she had gotten lost in them. They were filled with an immeasurable amount of sorrow and sadness. Something Tenten had never seen from the imperturbable Neji.

"Tenten," he said in a soft whisper once again, "Why?"

"I-I'm—" she coughed out another trickle of blood. She was suddenly feeling scared now, scared of death. Having been through so many battles, she had grown used to danger, but here she was, bleeding to death.

_I can't die here…what will become of my dreams? My ambitions? And…Neji…I…still need to tell…him…_

Neji suddenly started getting blurry around the edges. _This is it…I'm going to die…_

She blinked back tears. _I'm sorry Neji…I've failed you…and everyone else…_

Neji suddenly started turning red, and the environment shades of blues. _What…?_

Hitomi fired a set of water spikes into a shinobi, instantly killing him, as a nearby Lee became a human tornado, blowing away groups of the enemy at a time. Hitomi whipped around in time to deflect several shurikens with a shield of ice. That was when she saw Neji on the ground. His back was facing her, but she could see a pool of blood forming around him.

"NEJI-SENPAI!"

Lee stopped at this and looked about to see Neji. He happened to be looking at Neji from the side, so it didn't take for him to realize that the bloody mess on Neji's lap was Tenten.

"TENTEN-CHAN? WTF?" (A/N: sorry…I just thought it would be amusing when lee's says "wtf?")

Hitomi spotted Sasuke, completely with bloody hand, and immediately went into a rage. Of course all hell broke loose when a bright flash of light blinded everyone in the clearing, stopping the battle.

Tenten suddenly found herself on her feet again, feeling slightly stronger. _This power…this…vision?_

She looked around at the world around her. It was all blue. Red figures surrounded her. Neji, beside her, was staring at her with his mouth open in shock. And he seemed to be shaded red. His chakra was glowing white around him in a shimmering aura. _…Wow…I never thought…just like that other time…_

She smiled softly and turned to Sasuke, that boy she hadn't seen since the Chuunin Exams five years ago.

"Ready for round 2?"

Sasuke had been shocked briefly when he found that the ANBU he had just killed was a girl. He was somewhat stupefied when the mask came off, revealing a girl whom he had known, not personally, but he knew her anyways. Tenten. No surname. But not much of a loss. As he recalled, Tenten had been defeated by Temari of the Sand in a matter of seconds. Tenten may have improved in speed, but she was still weak as ever.

What truly shocked him was the burst of energy that suddenly surged forth from her broken body, and before he knew it, she was back on her feet with a flash of light.

Tenten held out her hand, and her crescent blade flew into her open palm. She stared at the red shadow in front of her that was Sasuke. She was acting without thinking now, all of it coming from instinct.

"TWIN DRAGONS COMBO!"

A replica of herself suddenly materialized beside her and together they flew at Sasuke with perfect synchronism

Driving the nukenin back, the two slashed away relentless a series of blinding pattern made to fit the other's.

Sasuke stumbled slightly as a blade left a long cut across his arm. He couldn't keep up wit hthe speed, and his kunai were cracking under the force of the blows.

"DUAL CHIDORII!"

Both of his hands lit up with the blue chakra, and blocked the blades with his bare hands. The girl was incredible, her…crimson eyes? She was absolutely insane. Sasuke had never met any kunoichi this powerful.

He knocked a blade aside and attempted to strike one of the Tentens, but the other nearly severed his outstretched arm.

Sasuke swore and in anger slammed a vicious kick into the attacking girl, and she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Grinning in victory he began his own attack. But the real one seemed to match him blow for blow.

The massive crescent blade slashed above his head, nearly decapitating him, as he attacked her legs with a kunai. She merely flipped away.

Sasuke smiled inwardly. He felt rare respect for this girl. She might just be the suitable candidate to help him rebuild his clan.

"You're quite good…Tenten is it?"

The girl blinked at him, the red aura fading away from her.

"What?"

Sasuke smirked and vanished with a swish of his cloak.

"TENTEN! What the hell are you doing? And what the hell was that? And your eyes! And that ANBU tattoo on your shoulder! How come I didn't notice it? Explain yourself?"

Neji walked up to the startled Tenten, who appeared to have no idea what happened. He peered at her downcast face. The Hyuuga was apparently oblivious to the fact that he was about to break some nins neck and was still clutching the poor guy in his right hand.

"Um…Neji? The guy?"

Neji knocked him out and dropped the unconscious nin on the grass.

"Well Tenten?"

"A-Actually I'm not sure…"

At that time the rest of her team gathered around her. The ANBU looked her in surprise, though one handed her what was left of her mask meekly.

"…Tenten-senpai? Orders?"

"Return to Konoha…"

The ANBU nodded and the air whooshed as the evaporated into the air. Tenten turned to Neji and bowed in apology.

"Forgive me Neji…I just wanted to create a name for myself….so I joined ANBU without telling you guys…"

She shyly brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"So you're now an ANBU of Konoha?"

She nodded meekly, still straightening her hair.

"…"

Tenten laughed weakly, avoiding his interrogating gaze.

"Well…um…I know you're angry…but…yeah…"

Neji placed a hand on each side of her cheek and made her look him in the eye.

"Tenten…you should have just told me…I really don't mind you getting stronger…just…don't leave your friends in the dark."

He smiled at her, and her expression soon became cheerful again as she proceeded to glomp him.

Lee and Hitomi stood off to the side.

"…So Tenten-san is ANBU?"

Lee just shrugged, not taking his eyes off Tenten, who was smiling gleefully at a stoicNeji.

"Well Tenten? You're an ANBU leader…get off of me…"

Tenten flushed and jumped up, pulling the Hyuuga to his feet.

"So anymore secrets?"

"…N-Not…in particular…eheh…?"

Neji cocked an eyebrow.

"Just kidding! Bye Neji-kun!"

And with that, she disappeared.

Neji walked back to what was left of his team with a puzzled expression.

"No comments, no questions…my brain still doesn't understand what just happened."

End chp 22

W007 I made it XD ok sorry no crazy maito gai here cuz I don't have time…maybe next

Now leave me some good reviews…XDXD long and detailed pls

And I apologize…I rushed the last half of this chapter…so overall, its kinda shitty…my apologies again

and for those of u read and reviewd alardy and decided to reread...yeah...i made a mistake...wtf did i make tentne's hair blonde? if any of you are going "wtf did i read that?" that means ive alrdy edited the chapter


	23. Chp 23 The Valentine Man?

After several months of hibernation, I've finally accumulated enough sleep to write…well not really, lost most of it during midterms XD so please accept my humble apologies for not updating for a rather obscene amount of time

Gundum M: ; that's good…

Mitsuhime: That's also good ;…

Hermion8: yeah she did leave the hotel lol, to do the mission actually assigned to her real name…lol

Lih: indeed XD

Sillyphilly: hehe yes, ive got many reviews concerning my grammar…hehe

Stolen Sunshine: yeah lol, well that was before I actually watched/read the series

Shadowangl: really? that's good

Hitsuyaga: …it took me a couple minutes to realize you were the one who submitted the review…lol XD midterms was fun ja?

Emina-anime: that's ok, its just id write faster if I had feedback lol but thx anyways!

Para-normal Eve: …uh say what?

Nejithecagedbird: lol I was rushing…I think…I forgot what I was doing at the time becuz it was a quite a while ago XD

Inuyashagirl22: I shall update…NOW…and about dragging out the storyline? Yes, I am a dirty/lazy bastard

Cheezitz: well that's nice to know!

Manuca: lol sis XD yah, lots of plot in this one XD but kite and Kimiko will disappear for a bit as we get to konoha's little hyuuga-sponsored valentine love fest XD roflol…and yes, her name is uzuki yuugao and she is hayate gf and hayate is back from the dead cuz he's one of my fav characters lol, I cant wait to stat having sasuke chase tenten…(evil grin)

Fiery Winter: well here's some more kinda late though, sorry ;

Hibiyuru: lo again…lol, see, it takes me forever to update now XDXD I need some sleep still too….T-T

TentenCharmed: eh? It healed XD her blood line includes regeneration lol XDXD

KizaKitsune: well, part of the bloodline was revealed lol, she's got plenty more where that came from

OneShadow: that's good to hear lol

Kunoichi goddess: yes she was…I was probably high back then, but it doesn't matter…lol HAYATE LIVES AGAIN!

Byakugan vs Sharingan: lol thx and the eyes are only part of the bloodline…

Ryu Amakusa: …u…hate the oc? (cries)

HanaTenshiHimeko: well, u know what that's gonna lead up to…NEJI VS SASUKE XDXD prepare for crazy fight scene whenever I feel like moving the plot forward

Lawless priest: lol u finally got one XDXD kite just wasn't in the mood no, I did not discontinue eternal strife…im still writing it, but im just too lazy to post the next few sections cheers! …oh yeah…and…um…eternal consists of three books…ur reading the first book right now…so its gonna be loooooooooooooooong

Lil-Donkey: maybe, but u wont find out about tenten's blood line, at least not all of it, until a while afterwards…SPEEDO GAI COMING RIGHT UP

Gclp: really? Thx (happy days!)

Darth Sonic: tenten…bi…no…not right…XD (dies from nosebleed) lol

crasiness: w00t gap great azn pride XDXD lol ph34r t3h crazy ocs

Yuki3x3: lazy ppl these days --; lol well enjoy this update

Search and Seek and Destroy: that's too true…my apologies XD (luv the 1337n3ss there)

Hamtaro-craz: that's always good…lol

: lol nice name there XD hope ya like this

Hershey Rocks: im trying XD

Spyke the Hedgehog: lol u know u like my horrid grammar skillz…

Kodoku: lol Gekkou has many hidden talents and lee swearing like a sailor is always amusing

KaiKaiCutie: change it back? Nah, she just washes it out and tenten is the main character, thus she cant die…yet…(evil grin) t3h blonde hair is part of her little anbu disguise

Ok, there, done answering reviews…blah…still suffering from lack of sleep…and I need to practice violin… I luv my crappy life…anyways cheers, hope you like the update and the little bonus chappie I decided to write for my faithful reviewers…and u guys get to read the start of the long anticipated and requested fight between tenten ad hitomi XDXD omg it be a evil hitomi!

Oh yeah…if anyone was wondering what eternal strife was, its my original story at fictionpress id be very happy if anyone went and reviewed it…I use the same penname over there as well also and kite, kimiko, and rift are all in it XDXD

**Chapter 23 The Valentine Man**

Tenten dunked her shampoo-ed hair into the bath and scrubbed furiously. Gritting her teeth, she washed all of the blonde hair-dye out.

She still couldn't believe it. What a strange day it had been. Killed a couple rogue ninjas as usual (it was her source of income anyways). Had her morning cup of chilled hazelnut coolatta from the nearest Bumpkin Donuts store. And then got her double-life revealed to her crush and long-time best friend. And on top of that, she had a major hang-over.

Frowning as she walked out of the bathroom, she didn't recall getting drunk at all. In fact, she wasn't aware of how long she had slept. And then she realized she wasn't even inside her apartment.

Instead, she was inside a large, luxurious room. She looked to her right.

"…Good god," she walked over. There was a massive oil painting of…

"Neji? No wait…maybe Hinata? That's a strange painting."

* * *

Neji sneezed loudly and rubbed his nose, thanking a servant for handing him a tissue.

"Fank ou…"

The other Hyuuga members looked at him strangely.

"Are you all right Hyuuga-sama?"

"I'm fine." He scratched his nose.

Hiashi then appeared beside him. Neji nearly leapt out of his seat in surprise, but managed to keep a stony gaze fixed upon the Huuga leader.

"Hello Uncle."

"I heard you just got back from your mission."

"Hn."

"Learned some interesting thing?"

"Hn." He scratched his nose again, not really paying attention.

"Some things revealed? A friend rediscovered?"

"Hn."

"…"

"Hn." That damn itch was getting on his nerves, but he couldn't keep scratching his nose, lest he look like a freak.

"…Neji?" Everyone present was staring nervously at the Hyuuga Prodigy, who seemed to be seething with anger. He was visibly shaking.

"Nej—"

"WACHOOOOOO!"

* * *

"Oh …"

Tenten fainted with a loud thump. She felt like she was going to suffer another stroke.

* * *

"Neji, do you know what occasion it is?"

"…Hn…" He blew his nose loudly.

"Then have you prepared?"

"…Hn," Like hell he was listening. "…Could someone hand me another pack of tissues?"

"Of course Hyuuga-sama." He caught the thrown package in mid-air.

"Thanks…"

"Neji! Our clan is supposed to host the annual Clan Valentine CELEBRATION! AND IT'S TAKING PLACE IN KONOHA THIS YEAR TOO!"

Hiashi waved his hands wildly.

"YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THIS HOLDS UP OUR REPUTATION! AND I'M PUTTING YOU IN CHARGE!"

* * *

Only minutes later, Hyuuga Neji sat at his desk. He scratched his nose, and abruptly sneezed. _…So what am I supposed to be doing?_

He looked down in front of him. On the Mahogany wood, sitting there was a giant, purple-pinkish heart. It had the words, "You are invited to the Hyuuga ANNUAL CLAN VALENTINE CELEBERATION!"

Beside it were piles of holiday planners. Hyuuga Neji snorted, and slumped forward, asleep. One of Hiashi's aides immediately ran into the room and buffeted the sleeping Hyuugas with a series of whacks with a bat. The aide quickly zipped out of the room before the waking dragon could figure out who roused it.

"…Ow…"

He sat up, rubbing his head. _"Valentine Celebration? For the Clans"?_

He opened the Heart-shaped card, and inside, he read, "A grand celebration where all of the great Shinobi Clans of all the Shinobi countries gather for a week long celebration of fun, feasting, and mutual love!"

It wasn't even past the first line, and his eyebrows were twitching maliciously.

"Mutual…love?"

* * *

Tenten quickily shimmied out of her bed robes and was about to put on her usual clothes when she realized they weren't there, _Oh yeah, this isn't my apartment. And I'm naked again. In Hyuuga's little mansion…crap…_

Then she realized that she was standing next to a drawer. She looked at it with narrowing eyes.

"Then I'll have to borrow these…"

She opened the hinged door and found a set of the usual white Hyuuga robes. Finding a set that may have belonged to either Neji or Hinata at one time, she sighed and took them out of the luxurious and off the hanger. After sliding on the baggy white pants, she turned around and started to put on the robes, just as the door opened and Neji walked into.

"I can't believe I had to use the art of the substitution to get the servant off my back"

Instant nosebleed! Neji keeled over unconscious. A morning mission along with a random assignment from your clan leader can do that to you. Seeing your female teammate with only pants on might also affect you.

Tenten would beat him up normally, but she wasn't the type to hurt unconscious boys. And as she recalled, this wasn't the first time he had seen her like this, so she merely shrugged, finished dressing, and walked out.

About half an hour later, Neji woke up, cocking a drowsy eyebrow. The thing he had seen was…

A picture of Tenten in that seductive pose exploded into his mind. He scratched his chin as he studied the picture in his mind, unaware of the fact that more blood was flowing down from his nose. Frowning, he got up and walked out of the room.

"HYUUGA-SAMA YOUR NOSE IS BLEEDING! AND DID YOU START ON THE PLANNER?"

"…Oh…sure…"

The airy-headed Prodigy then walked past the aide and dawdled off into another corridor, his mind lost in the clouds.

"Tenten-san!"

"Eh? Oh hey Hinata!"

The Hyuuga girl ran over to Tenten gleefully.

" (0.0) I heard that you and Neji got back form the same mission! …And he was carrying you on his back, it was so cuuute ( )!"

Tenten smiled, trying to decide whether she should go for a walk and thank Neji-kun later, or go back and slap him silly. Then she noticed Hinata was still beaming at her.

"Something wrong 0 0?"

" Of course not ;!"

" - -; …Naruto asked you out on a date?"

"Actually… XD … he did…today in fact."

* * *

Naruto sneezed, spraying Ayame (the ramen stand girl for those of you who don't know) and her father with chewed ramen.

* * *

"That explains why you're suddenly so cheerful. Well I guess it keeps you from stuttering like mad ," she smirked, "You two do look good together… ;p"

Hinata blushed and started stammering repeatedly in thanks. Tenten laughed and patted her head before walking off. Then, a nasty plan formed in Tenten's mind.

A feral, almost vixen-like grin crossed her face.

"Hina-chan, where does Hitomi stay?"

* * *

Neji was once again sitting in the large circular office of Hiashi. Looking around, he saw that the room had been renovated. And everything appeared to be dyed in shades of red, pink, and purple. Even Hiashi's favorite desk had been painted purple. And then polished with pink finisher. Neji's eye was twitching uncontrollably. He hated purple. He hated pink. And he hated heart-shaped confetti. And that happened to be scattered across the ground. A giant purple heart hovered above Hiashi-sama's head. And Hiashi's robes happened to be fluorescent pink. Good lord, he was being blinded by the fluorescent pink.

Neji turned and looked out the window. The other sections of the estates seemed to have been renovated the same way. One of the fountains in the courtyards was spewing pink water. It was all Neji could do to keep from crying

"Neji, have you started planning?"

"I am done in fact."

"…"

"I used the planner from the last time the Hyuuga Clan hosted the event."

"WHAT?"

"Something the matter?"

"…Neji, those plans are far outdated…THEY'RE FROM ALMOST A CENTURY AGO!"

"…So?"

Hiashi began slamming his head repeatedly against his desk, as Neji shuffled backwards silently towards the door.

"Neji! We cannot let the reputation of the fun and entertaining Hyuuga Clan be disgraced! We must give them a party to remember! And it's supposed to last a week! A century ago, it lasted only for two days!"

Neji twitched. _Just as I thought…each generation becomes more and more like party animals…_

"…We shall have the same schedule for the rest of the week then…"

"…" Hiashi smashed a fist through his desk. The whole structure creaked and splintered, spraying the air with wooden chunks. Tears began forming in his eyes.

"Neji…you have to do this…for the sake of all the young clan couple formed by pre-arranged marriages! Think of the pre-planned children! For the love of eugenics make it the most heart-melting celebration ever!" (A/N omfg yes hiashi is high and oc…pls don't lynch me!)

"Hn. Your will be done. I will go and re-plan." Ah yes, the usual Hyuuga calmness. Too bad his actions betrayed him. Neji whipped around ran out as fast as his little legs could carry him. Well no, he wasn't little. Just a little freaked out.

* * *

It was approaching lunch time, with the sun already high above and shining down on the world. The Hyuuga Estates were peaceful, as normal as could be, save for the Valentine renovations. It was quite a sight to see

Hitomi was outside watering plants with a stream of water from her palm, when Tenten came running up to her with a smile. Hitomi smiled back and dispelled her jutsu.

"Morning Tenten-san. How are you? "

"Fine, thank you …" She continued smiling

" …Beautiful day isn't it?"

" yes indeed… ;"

" …"

"…"

"…"

" - -;…"

" 0 0…?"

"Something the matter?"

"Weeeell…I need your help"

"Yes? With what?" She smiled cheerfully. She'd do anything for a friend. She was that type of girl

"She was that type of girl. She is heart-warming, beautiful, super-strong, and caring. Hitomi is a nice, gentle, kind—"

"Lee…shut up," hissed Tenten. Lee put down the microphone and immediately stopped.

"Okay, so what did you need my assistance with?"

Tenten smiled cheerfully as she knocked Lee unconscious. Hitomi's jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it.

"I need you to teach me how to change your hair color like that…"

"Oh, that jutsu? It's rather simple. But first, I want you to fight me. Lee-kun's told me how strong you were. I've found it hard to find strong kunoichis these days care to spar?"

Tenten grinned from ear to ear. A spar and a new jutsu. This was turning out to be a great day. _No wait…it sucked a couple hours ago…okay, today is now normal…_

Lee leapt up, hollering, "YOSH! PERFECT! NO DAY IS COMPLETE WITHOUT A SPAR!"

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!"

The loud, piercing voice made Tenten leapt several meters into the air in fright screaming. Turning around, she was blinded by a flashing of pinging teeth. And accompanying the teeth was an equally shiny bowl-cut head. And then she saw a horrible face out of a nightmare.

"GAI!" She screamed, "WHO LET YOU IN?"

"Why I told them who I was, and they consented at once!"

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO YOUR FACE?"

"BOTOX INJECTION, MY DEAR FLOWER! IT'S THE LATEST FAD, DIDN'T YOU KNOW? And to think, just in time for Valentine…THE SEXY BEAST ISCOMING ALL YOU BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS OF KONOHA!"

* * *

Neji was busy planning away. He was a very hard at work, having gone off and spent an hour looking for Shikamaru. When he found Shikamaru, he very politely explained to the lazy genius his dilemma. When the boy politely refused to help, Neji, in the very elegant, refined, and of course, polite manner, beat the living shit out of Shika-kun and dragged him back to the Hyuuga Estates in chains.

Now Neji was hard at work, meditating in a corner while sweating Shikamaru planned out the celebration. He also happened to be chained to the chair with a taser collar secured around his neck. Shikamaru turned to the serene Prodigy and asked in a very meek manner, "Why do I have to do this Neji? You don't need a Genius to plan a party!"

"For a good party, one that exceeds my uncle's expectations, I think I may need your assistance."

"But you're just as smart as I am. Why'd you get me?"

"…I felt that my time could be spent more wisely meditating on the problem Hiashi has presented me with along with the party planner…"

Shikamaru asked, "And what kind of problem is that?"

He screamed as Neji pushed the taser button. He quickly turned back to his work.

"Well it's private…so I don't think I'll share it with you. Anyways, your clan is invited too, as small as it is. I convinced Hiashi to invite yours, Chouji's, Shino's, and, with some trouble, Kiba's."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you have about a week to plan a week long celebration. And then find a girl suitable to your tastes, because you'll be spending a whole week with her, as listed in the planning restrictions and requirements manual I gave you."

Shikamaru would later be hospitalized for the mental trauma he suffered during his stay at the Hyuuga Estates.

Part of the reason may be because of what came next.

"SHIKA-KUN," came the battle cry, and Neji opened his eyes to see a blonde girl blow through the walls of the room with a fan.

"I've come to rescue you, Shika-kun!"

Shikamaru took one look at the girl, and immediately turned back to his work, scribbling profusely. The girl, in the classic heroine pose, looked at her "Shika-kun", who ignored her largely for the most part, and pouted.

"Shika-kuuuuun…I came here to rescue yoouuuu. Why won't you look at meeeeeee?"

Temari hopped over to Shikamaru's desk and looked at what he was working on.

"The United Clan Association presents…The Annual Valentine Ball, hosted by the respected Hyuuga Clan of Konoha? Why are you…"

She turned to give Neji the cold stare.

"How dare you take my Shika-kun away to do your horrible bidding. Prepare to eat twister!"

She whipped out her fan, which Neji eyed lazily. "Please keep quiet, I'm trying to sleep—er, I mean—meditate…tell you what, I'll let you take Shikamaru out to the Valentine Ball…how about that? After he finishes planning, he's all yours. I'll even gift wrap him for you." He smiled.

"Really? Okay!"

Neji smirked at the trembling Shikamaru.

"Neji, I'm your friend…you wouldn't really, you wouldn't…sell me?"

"I didn't sell you, I'm just giving you away as a bribe. Now shut up and hurry up and finish the work."

Shikamaru slammed his head against the desk and cried.

Suddenly, a pair of the Hyuuga guards rounded the corner, brandishing naginatas.

"There's the assassin! Get her before she assaults Hyuuga-sama!"

Temari winked at the two and danced out the window. The guards ran over to the window and one of them slammed his fist into the window sill in anger.

"Damn, we missed her. Are you all right Hyuuga-sama?"

"Hn."

"Good, we apologize for the disturbance. We shall track her down!"

A cruel smile crept its way onto his face.

"No, that's fine. Actually, she's an acquaintance of mine. Let her come and go, as she wants. I'm sure Shikamaru here will want some company after working hard."

"Ah of course Neji-sama!"

The guards then left, leaving a sobbing Shikamaru behind. Neji looked at him with a cocked eyebrow in surprise.

"She seems to be an acceptable little girl. Are you gay?"

"S-She broke my arm the last time she hugged me."

"…Tenten does that all the time," he frowned and looked up, reminiscing, "And there was that time I touched her…her…uh, forget that."

"You did what Ten-chan?"

"…Nothing, let's just say she broke all of my fingers so I couldn't use my Hakushuu for quite some time."

"Ouch." Neji nodded in agreement, and the two just stopped moving for a moment.

"Hn, now work dammit."

"Yes Hyuuga-sama"

* * *

Hiashi sat by the window. He was watching Hitomi, Tenten, and Lee enjoy themselves in one of the Hyuuga courtyards. Beside him, the Rain kage hovered anxiously.

"Hiashi, the wedding will be set as planned during the Ball, yes?"

"We'll see…we'll see how everything turns out…"

_If Neji does not admit his feeling to that Tenten girl soon, I'm going to make him marry either Hitomi or some other clan girl…_

(AN as I recall, someone had requested something like this a while ago…well whoever it was, enjoy ;, my apologies for not kicking the plot up to speed…yeah…its serious now ;)

Hitomi dashed across the courtyard, kicking up a fine cloud of dust (to think she was running on a trimmed lawn, that's quite a feat). She moved fluidly, even in a kimono. Her opponent was the opposite of her: a simple-seeming girl with her hair in buns, wearing a sleeveless pink silk shirt and baggy training pants. But Tenten wasn't no mere kunoichi.

Tenten flew to the side, avoiding a jab to the ribs, as Hitomi skidded past her across the lawn. Tenten could see Lee standing off to the side, in some sort of mental breakdown. He appeared to be struggling with his inner demons, so Tenten was assuming that he couldn't decide who to cheer on.

She spoke too soon.

"YOU CAN DO IT HITOMI-CHAN! STICK TO IT! SHE'S GOT NOTHING ON Y—"

Lee flew backwards and slammed into a wall, pinned there by some two dozen shurikens (note Tenten's amazing skill, 24 stars…(insert whistle))

Hitomi just smiled in amusement and shook her head. When she looked back up, the threatening aura she had came back, throwing Tenten off kilter for a moment. Putting on a burst of speed, she leapt from side to side, trying to throw Tenten off guard. But Tenten was used to this, having sparred with Neji and lee most of her life.

Metal clanged against metal, as four blades locked together. Tenten gritted her teeth, pushing against the other girl with her might, her kodachis trembling form the effort exerted by both. Hitomi was using two curved dagger attached to her fingers by a chain. They leapt apart, throwing shurikens at each other.

Tenten's shurikens were knocked down by spurts of water, while Hitomi's were merely dodged.

The charged at each other again, and Hitomi attempted a classic kill move of hers. When she reached Tenten, she swung out with the daggers, which Tenten blocked. With her momentum, Hitomi spun overhead, spinning her chain blades about. Tenten realized this only a moment before, and barely ducked the swinging blades, throwing herself to the floor.

A cascade of dark brunette locks fall over her shoulders. The blades had cut through her ribbons. Blowing strands of hair out of her eyes, she whirled about, leaping into the air to perform a gravity-defying scissor kick at Hitomi as she flipped to the ground.

Throwing her weight about, she spun around and whipped her chained blades around again to catch Tenten during her attack, whistling through the air. Tenten slammed both feet into Hitomi, and had whipped around her swords to block the blows, but one of the blades slipped around her kodachi and struck her side.

They flew apart, landing several meters away from each other. Hitomi slammed into the ground with such force that a dust cloud rose up and covered her. Lee's jaw dropped open, and he quickly reached up to push it closed. Tenten leapt up, seething. Her hand fell to her side and came up wet with blood.

_She's trying to kill me?_

"Oww…hey Hitomi?"

The shadow in the dust cloud stood limply there. But Tenten sensed something wrong. An aura of bloodlust hung heavily in the air, sucking the life out of it. Tenten froze.

Her hands whipped threw the air, deflecting a series of what appeared to be shards of ice. The pieces of ice clattered to the ground, as the dust settled, but was replaced by an eerie fog.

"So Tenten-san…I seem to hear that your alter-ego is one of the top ranked kunoichis in the area…"

"My what?"

The fog seemed to rush towards her as the figure barreled towards her.

_A demon…?_

End chp

Next time, Tenten fights for her life against a seemingly insane Hitomi? Can she survive? And what is wrong with the pretty kunoichi from Rain?

**Bonus Ficlet: _What is this…?_ (yes, this little story does take place around the same time as the chapter you just read.)**

Kite sat under the tree. His "fianceé" slept peacefully beside him. Leaning against his shoulder. And Kite was stiff as a pole. The young man was still quite unaccustomed to this, this…he had no idea what the hell to call it.

Kite yawned, looking at the sun-lit fields around him. He had decided to choose a lone tree in a large grass plain as hi resting place, as though he was in the open, that meant no one could sneak up on him either. The bright, swaying grassing in the gentle breeze were rather relaxing, a nice change from the dark forests of the Leaf.

He frowned. And he still didn't know what this, this, this "fianceé" meant. He looked at her. She seemed rather attractive, sleeping next to him like that. He assumed that she could now be considered "cute" or "kawaii", as Rift had repeatedly teased him about girls. He learned most of the female whatnot from Rift.

He pursed his lip. The desire for knowledge was beginning to beat back the fact he didn't want to wake her up from her slumber.

In the end, the thirst of knowledge won. He began poking. He continued poking her, but she ignored him and continued sleeping. He grimaced, grabbed her gently by the shoulder and shook her a bit. _How can she sleep like this?_

He leaned away a bit, and pinched her arm. Still, no response. _Rift said there was one place I could grab to get her to wake up…though I still don't understand why…_

Trembling nervously, he grabbed Kimiko where no man dared to grab.

About twenty seconds later, Kimiko was standing up and stretching her lithe body, as Kite attempted to extract his head from a nearby tree.

"You little pervert, you…" She laughed a bit, "Funny, I would've never expected that coming from you, little ero-nin…"

Kite blushed as he ripped his trapped head from the tree trunks, brushing splinter off his coat.

"Well I'm sorry Princess Ginhoshi but you refused to wake, so I had to resort to theoretical means of bring you back to consciousness…"

"In other words, someone told you to touch my breasts, and you listened to them?"

"…More or less."

"So, um, Kite-kun, who's this 'friend' or yours?"

* * *

Rift, stalking Tsunade, the Hokage, sneezed. It took him about half an hour to ditch the raging Hokage

_Damn, why'd I sneeze?_

* * *

She smiled sweetly at him, though there was a vein pulsing in her cheek.

"Umm…well he's…"

Kimiko sighed and shook her head.

"Never mind, just tell me why you woke me…"

Kite looked at her. She was staring to the far right of him, and abruptly walked to the right of him.

"Er…I'm over here."

"Oh, sorry, haven't quite woken up yet ;"

"Heh, well I was wondering…about that…'fianceé' thing…what is this…this 'fianceé?'"

"Haha, funny Kite-kun, very funny."

She tackled him to the ground, giggling.

"You really are funny!"

"I'm being serious, what is this 'fianceé' thing you keep talking about?"

"Kite? Are you s-serious?"

She was kneeling beside him, and he was looking at her expectantly, when a big teardrop rolled down her cheek, followed by a waterfall.

Kite opened his mouth to say something, when he realized he was shocked speechless. He quickly pushed it shut with his hand.

"Y-You m-mean, you never viewed me as your," she sniffed, "Your fianceé"

"I-I'm really sorry, I have no idea what a fiancée! Just tell me!"

"I-It m-means we're supposed to get m-married…s-someday!"

Kite's jaw dropped open once more. _The hell is this…this…this "get married" thing?_

"To get married," Kite was pretty sure he had heard it from Rift before. He thrust his left hand into the depths of his coat. His other hand was meanwhile holding a sobbing Kimiko to his chest. Apparently, certain things came instinctively.

His left hand emerged with an old, torn up manual. It had been written by Rift and given to Kite years ago. Kite flipped through the definitions sections, looking for certain terms.

"'To get married'…_the process where a man is legally and mentally and physically and etcetera etcetera-lly bound to a woman. God hopes that the man has chosen wisely, because he will be spending the rest of his life with that woman. Of course, some men are known to have taken mistresses (pg. 68) as well, such as myself_…"

"What?"

"Oh, I'm reading through this dictionary Rift gave me."

"I wish I could still read…does it have Braille?"

"Oh. No, sorry, " he patted her head sympathetically. Looking at the page again, he realized Rift ha left a side-note for him at the bottom of the page.

"_Kite, if you ever get a girlfriend, ask me for help on proposing, k?_"

A slow breathing noise from Kimiko announced the fact that she asleep again.

"Cute? And what is this…this proposal he keeps talking about? Proposing what?"

* * *

Neji looked at the robes/dress in horrid fascination. On the outside, he appeared emotionless, but on the inside, he was screaming for his late mother.

"What…is this?" He inquired coldly.

"This is what you'll be wearing to the annual Valentine Ball of course, your uncle told me you liked pink!"

"…When I said I liked pink, I meant having others wear it, not me…"

_Like Tenten's pink shirt for example…_, Neji thought. Of course he did not say it aloud.

"But Neji-san, you must, for this is a Hyuuga tradition that you wear robes!"

"It's a dress," he stated bluntly.

"Oh come now, you know you love these little frills, and this beautiful, beautiful, manly blouse."

A vein had started pulsing on Neji's forehead. Most people would take it as signal to get the hell out of the place, but the thread master seemed to have trouble getting that into his thick skull.

He was in a room inside one of the Hyuuga mansion on the Estates and had been dragged here by Hyuuga guards. At first he relented, until he saw this same shop owner again. He recalled how last year, he had been lucky to have been assigned a mission on the same couple of days the Ball took place. Certain things had freed him from—I mean—deprived him of the heart-warming experiences of the Valentine Ball for in fact, most of his life. He was glad for that fact. Unfortunately it appeared as though Tsunade had ran out of missions to give him.

Neji thought back to his meeting with the Hokage. Then he realized that she seemed to have renovated her office with a large variety of luxurious items. _So political figures can be bought…curse you, reality…_

He dodged the man as he tried to thrown the gown—I mean dress— over Neji's head. Neji glared at the man.

"Do you have a deathwish?"

"No, not really. Hyuuga-sama told me this would happen…so," he clapped his hands.

A dozen Main house Members appeared around the shop keeper. Hyuuga noticed they were the strongest of the Hyuuga clan, all of them tall, muscular, long-haired, and wearing identical pink robes like a team uniform. The burly leader seemed to be stretching his dress so it became like a frilly pink tight. Neji managed to seal his mouth before he could release his lunch onto the floor.

"Don't any of you Main House freaks come near me…else I kill you all."

"Forward men! We'll have to dress this little runt ourselves!"

The shopkeeper was in for quite a spectacular fight, as thirteen Byakugan bloodlines were activated in the room.

* * *

Tenten and Lee were sitting in the movie theaters. They had tried to drag Neji off with them, but as it turned out, they ended up watching Neji get dragged back to the Hyuuga Estates by a pair of Hyuuga guards.

Tenten sat a couple seats away from Lee, just in case he got…influenced by the movie. Tenten had nearly been hugged by Lee, until Neji reached over and started choking him with one hand. And there was that time where she almost leaned her head on Neji's shoulder. Actually she ended up grabbing his hand. Neji proceeded to remove it slowly without taking his attention off the silver screen.

She had very weird experiences with her team at the movies. Like that time Maito Gai started bawling at the end of an obscenely angsty movie where the heroine died in her lover's arms.

The kunoichi frowned, sipping at her soda. She really did wonder what happened to Neji. _Got dragged back home in public…poor Neji-kun…now I'm stuck with Lee…_

She glanced over at Lee, whose eyes were glued to the screen already, even though it was still commercials. _But I guess Lee isn't that bad…_

She then turned her attention back to the commercials. One passed about selling valentine accessories, which made Tenten blanche. _Frills and loveletters? Are you serious?_

She turned her attention back to her orange soda. Then she heard the words, "And now presenting a new line of hot, new MEN'S SWIMSUIT SPEEDOS! TAKE A LOOK AT OUR NEW MASCOT! MAAAAAAAITO GAAAAAIIII!"

Tenten's eyes shot up to take a look at the scene. She would horribly regret it later, as her mind had just been permanently scarred. She saw her teacher, Maito Gai, in his glory, displaying a blue Speedo.

With white teeth flashing

"W-What the hell is this? Ahh my eyes!"

And with that, she fainted, while Lee started sobbing, crying, "Gai, how could you?"

* * *

An hour or two later, Lee helped a very pale Tenten out of the movie theater. They moved quickly, out of the many moviegoers who had come for a matinee show. Moving to the nearby park, Tenten and Lee collapsed onto the bench. Tenten just sat there, under the trees, staring blankly forward. Lee sat beside her, a worried expression on his face.

"Are you all right, Tenten-chan?"

"I don't feel so good," Tenten could feel her ramen noodles coming back up, and her eyes looked frantically for a trashcan.

"Lee, please find me trash can!"

"Of course, my beautiful flower! We must purge ourselves of whatever is troubling our minds!"

Lee threw a very sick-looking kunoichi onto his back and raced off through the cobblestone paths of the park.

* * *

Neji was twitching. The great Hyuuga Neji was a on the verge of crying. He had, after beating shitless a dozen main House members, been taken down by an irate Hiashi himself. Actually, they were on par, save the fact Hiashi suddenly pulled a curse seal move while Neji was using his Heavenly Spin. And so, Neji ended up, losing his balance and propelling himself out the window and knocking himself out.

And now, she—I mean—he was lying on his backward, wondering why the fates had cursed him like this. _So this is destiny, huh?_

He was a wearing a pink and purple dress, courtesy of the shopkeeper. It had a beautiful, voluminous under gown, with a pink, frilly blouse in the shape of a heart. He looked down at his sleeves. They too were frilly, and had little red hearts sewn into them skillfully. _It's pink silk…_

A couple meters away, Hiashi was sitting there, smiling.

"Neji, my nephew! You will thank me for this later someday! This dress will make flocks of girls follow you everywhere you go!"

Neji highly doubted that. And even if there were some girls stupid enough to follow a boy who now looked like a little nancy of a girl, Neji was sure he didn't want their company. He could feel the hard ground beneath him through the dress. Then he realized the dress was the only thing he was wearing.

He jerked up, panicking.

"Ah, good, you've decided to accept it, right? Don't worry Neji, I assure you that this dress will allow you to find the true one for you! There will be hundreds of female heirs from other clans attending this Ball! Hundreds to choose from!"

Neji stood up, and suddenly felt a shock down his spine.

"Ah, where is Neji-niisan?"

Neji was about to cry now.

"Ah, my daughter, Hinata! Come and view Neji in his full glory!"

Neji eyes flew open, as he realized Hinata was standing behind him.

_Henge NO JUTSU!_

Neji disfigured his face so he looked like a girl. The same girl Tenten had been seen carrying around the estates whiles back.

"Wha, Neji-niisan? Oh n-no, I'm sorry…"

Neji fought the desire to laugh. Hinata was dressed for the Valentine Ball as well. Then Neji realized something. He looked down at his dress. And then he looked at Hinata. He stared back at his dress, and then back to Hinata's.

"Hiashi-sama, the dress Hinata is wearing is the same as mine!"

"Well of course, both the boys and girls of the Hyuuga Clan will always wear the same things. Be glad you aren't wearing a kimono!"

"I'd would rather wear a kimono, Hiashi-sama."

"N-Neji-niisan?"

Neji sighed and undid the jutsu.

"Hello Hinata-sama. Yes I am wearing, a pink, frilly dress. The same as you."

Neji looked truly devastated, while Hinata, on the other hand, seemed positively delighted.

"Waaaaah, that's so kawaii Neji-niisan! It's so cute!"

"Thanks…" Neji wanted to kill himself know.

Suddenly, he found himself being dragged across the Estates by Hinata.

"We have to show Tenten your dress! It's so adorable!"

"HINATA!"

* * *

Tenten sat on a bench. She and Lee had forced themselves to hurl up everything they had consumed that day. And then after knocking Lee out, Tenten went back home and brushed her teeth.

Shortly, she returned to the park. She wonder what else would happen this day.

"Tenten-san! Over here!"

That sounded like Hinata. 

She turned to see Hinata, dressed in some sort of outlandish, pink gown running towards her. Then she realized Hinata was dragging Hyuuga Neji beside her by the hand.

"Tenten-san! Look at Neji! Isn't he so adorable?"

Tenten shot up. Neji was dressed in the exact same ball gown as Hinata. Complete with heart-shaped blouse and little silk hearts sewn onto the sleeves, Neji was a stunning sight. Neji was actually blushing furiously, embarrassing by the lot of it. Fortunately it was night, so most people didn't recognize him.

A second later, Tenten dropped to the groun, rolling with laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA, NEJI! Qh Neji-kun what is this?"

Lee arrived a few moments later, much to Neji's disgruntlement and started laughing as well.

"NEJI! You LOOK SO YOUTHFUL! NOW I WANT A DRESS LIKE THAT FOR VALENTINE'S!"

"Please…don't say my name…"

Neji was by now, hiding behind Hinata, who was looking at him in surprise.

Tenten wiped a tear off her cheek, as she clutched her chest, which hurt from laughing so hard.

"Actually, Neji, that dress does make you seem quite arttractive."

Lee and Tenten abruptly collapsed back down to the ground, laughing.

there ppl, the end!

pls review it'll make my day


	24. Chp 24 Training with Hyuugas is

I'd like to apologize for the obscenely long amount of wait time you guys have had to endure

I'd like to thank anyone who still reads this piece of crap, and I'm sorry for not being able to write often. I had severe time constraints and haven't been able to write anything for months.

Well you're probably wanting to know why you still have a fabulous X number of nejiten crack and whatnot pages to read now… cuz I never listen to my parents! …oh yeah, someone kept on pestering me… u know who you are…and the rest of you can thank that person…

yeah, enjoy...

**Chapter 24 Training with Hyuugas is Fun and Games…for the Hyuugas**

Her hands whipped threw the air, deflecting a series of what appeared to be shards of ice. The pieces of ice clattered to the ground, as the dust settled, but was replaced by an eerie fog.

"So Tenten-san…I seem to hear that your alter-ego is one of the top ranked kunoichis in the area…"

"My what?"

The fog seemed to rush towards her as the figure barreled towards her.

_A demon…?_

She coughed as the blur slammed into her midsection, driving her backwards though the air, clearly lifting her feet off the ground. And the pummeling of her stomach did not cease, until she drove a furrow through the dirt.

Her hand came up to wipe spittle off her chin, and then noted that it seemed rather warm. She looked at her hand, one side of her index finger dyed red.

Tenten turned her head and spat out a mouthful of red viciously, and launched herself off the ground, a pair of curved blades spinning into existence about her palms.

Leaning forward, she slashed in front of her instinctively, and was not at all disappointed when a pair of icicles slammed against her cold steel with a brutal force that left her hands ringing.

Tenten gasped in pain as bolts of shock ran through her wrist. She grunted with effort and threw the Rain girl aside. Hitomi flipped about and brought one of the ice blades around, and would have cleaved Tenten's pretty face in half if she had been a couple years younger in her training. But Tenten had already taken flight.

Hitomi backtracked, as Tenten's attack came down fast and precise, a steady number of cuts aimed to kill. Tenten had always trained with Neji, meaning that when she sparred, she'd be letting loose everything.

Hitomi heard a whistling behind, and threw herself backwards just as a pair of massive fuuma shurikens carved through the air she had previously inhibited. Tenten cracked a small grin, seeing her opponent off balance with her unnoticeable aerial attacks.

The rain-nin then found herself assaulted not just by Tenten, but also by a variety of flying blades. Tenten was finding time in between blows to throw them behind her back. And they would curve around to attack Hitomi from the side.

Hitomi spun about, knocking down two bladed discs, and she aimed a kick at Tenten, who dodged it and moved in to strike again.

Bits of ice flew as Tenten slashed furiously at Hitomi, only to meet by the blades of ices sprouting from her forearms.

Suddenly, Hitomi split apart into two identical blue-haired girls.

_Water clones…_

Tenten clasped her hands together, created her own twin, and they continued their duel of blades. That is, until Tenten found two icicles jabbing through the air at her, with Hitomi several meters away. With her usual agility, she knocked them aside, only to find that they were distractions, as Hitomi's chained blades whipped out and arced towards her.

Tenten merely moved her body around the blades, and sprinted at Hitomi, as the other girl snapped back the chains. Tenten threw herself at Hitomi, flicking out a pair of butterfly blades (she was wearing long sleeves, courtesy of Neji's dresser).

_If I can catch her while she's drawing in those chain blades…_

Suddenly, Tenten whipped the blades of in an "X", causing the small kunais flying at her to be deflected. Tenten threw herself to the sides, as a flurry of metal flew threw the air.

"You want to challenge a weapons master to a throwing contest?"

Tenten thrust out both arms, launching successive flights of kunai.

* * *

Rift sat on the tree, watching the Godaime. He was having one hell of a time stalking her and giving her the sleepless creeps. 

He appeared behind and whispered into her ear, "Hiya hottie!"

Tsunade leapt about, sending a seismic shockwave through the ground. But cloaked man was long gone by then.

"What in the world?"

She peered at her surrounding, ignoring all the stares she was getting.

* * *

Neji stood in the clearing. He had finally arranged for a small break to train his pupil. Inari grinned widely at his mentor. 

"So…what would you like to know first?"

Neji had no idea how to teach little kiddies.

"Is Ten-chan your girlfriend?"

Neji twitched slightly. He was suddenly reminded of Naruto all of a sudden

"First of all, refer to her as Tenten-SAMA…SAMA, not chan, and no nicknames. She is your senior and she deserves to be respected."

"Gotcha. She's still hot as hell though. I respect her sex appeal!"

Inari flashed a grin accompanied with a thumbs-up.

"I'll pretend you didn't say that," muttered Neji. He absolutely hated when people questioned their relationship. Neji placed their bond as untouchable by society. Even he didn't understand it.

"You didn't answer my question yet." Inari smirked evilly at the older boy.

"No, she is not my girlfriend. I don't have one and I find most other girls annoying. As fond of her as I am," he declared solemnly, "I only view her merely as a friend. Nothing more." On the inside, Neji was saying, _screw that, she's mine, body and soul! MUAHAHAHAHA—_

"Sweet! I'm asking her out after this session, so let's get it on!"

Neji's eyes flashed maliciously, "Indeed, after this session…let's get it on…all right, 500 laps now!"

"Around the tree? But that's so hard…"

"No, of course not." Neji smiled, causing Inari to sigh in relief.

"500 laps around the BORDERS OF KONOHA, YOU LITTLE BRAT! NOW GET STARTED!"

Inari fainted, much to Neji's dismay. And to think he had so much hope for the boy. Neji sighed as he took out a whip. This was going to be a long day. Especially after he stayed up all night having nightmares about that atrocious purple dress. _…But at least some people found it amusing…like Tenten…

* * *

_

Tenten ducked a swinging blade and knocked aside the second chained-whip blade. Tenten danced backwards, launched four Fuuma shurikens in quick succession, which, instead of barreling straight at Hitomi, the spiraled about in almost unpredictable patterns. Hitomi seemed to just curve around the blades in such a fluid fashion that it was almost like being compared to a dancing stream of water.

Hitomi abruptly closed the distance, firing off several globes of water, which would prove to be unblockable. That is, with weapons weapons. Tenten clasped her hands together, thinking of a jutsu, and abruptly unleashed it, calling forth a stonewalls. But the water balls suddenly froze in midair, becoming ice boulders, which smashed through Tenten's wall of defense.

Hitomi blinked. There was no figure standing amongst the rubble. Her eyes flicked about, as her chakra aura sensed for the presence of another.

Suddenly, she launched herself off the ground, knowing that if Tenten was nowhere around her, then the Weapon Mistress must be under her.

And as she expected, Tenten erupted from the earth, and steel senbons shot upward into the air as the Leaf kunoichi performed another one of her many weapon jutsus, this time flinging leaded nets about her.

Hitomi whipped through a set of seals, and she flung out bluish-glowing palms, freezing the net in mid-air. A jab into the center of the net shattered the frozen fibers.

Tenten licked his lips. She was going to enjoys this.

* * *

Kimiko sat at the table. Kite had run off, promising to bring back something edible. He said if he didn't, he had already paid the owner of the hotel for a double-bedded room on the third floor. In her hands were the keys to the room, yet the blind girl enjoyed just sitting at the open-air lounge, where customer would gather to talk, eat, and drink. 

She drank in the sounds and smells of the city life, as people passed by the lounge, shopping, laughing, and giggling with their friends. Something she never had. Her friends were the spirits of the land, the fallen statues of her past and present. She lived alone, traveled alone, and dreamed alone.

Bored, she decided that she wanted to take a look at this world. Kimiko moved her right hand up, and the world materialized before her as her vision was briefly restored with her bloodline usage. She then realized that someone was sitting right in front of her.

"Sorry for not announcing my presence to you, Miss Ginhoshi?"

She blinked in a confused manner, not knowing what to do. The man in front of her, or young man would be more appropriate as he appeared to be around Kite's age, was wearing dark sunglasses with long black hair that frizzed upwards in a strange, but somewhat cool sort of way. And he had a long trenchcoat. Kimiko then realized that there was a bug staring at her from the rim of her drink.

Kimiko blinked at it, as it seemed to study her.

"May I ask, who are you?"

"You may call me 'Scythe', as my comrades refer to me as. I have been instructed to take you back to Konoha with me."

"…Is it just me, or is this bug studying me?"

"It's not you…"

Kimiko's face shone with excitement, those deep milky eyes of hers brightening up, and she exclaimed, "You must be on of the Aburame clan!"

The Leaf nin nodded. And he then immediately tensed.

"I would prefer not to fight you, Kimiko-san."

"Well I would be pleased if you would give me a challenge…outside, if you may? Aburame? Aburame Shino?"

"If that is your wish."

Shino stood up respectfully, waiting for the lady to stand up before moving. Kimiko smiled cheerfully at him as she passed after pushing in her chair, not forgetting to drop several coins on the table for her tea and tip. Kimiko seemed to have manners inbred to her.

Outside, they took a walk to the outskirts, walking as a very strange pair: a blind girl and a cloaked man.

* * *

Kite trailed his "fiancée" and her acquaintance. Already, he suspected the man to be a shinobi of Leaf. He was still wondering the ninja's actual identity. 

The boy outlaw had actually spotted the two while helping an old lady cross the street. He had been taught to be courteous, no matter the circumstances, so he, like his little girlfriend, had his manners beaten into him. Though Kimiko had been much more cooperative with her parents and did not require any sort of beating.

Helping people really does benefit's one's self. As it turns out, the old lady was a manager at the nearest electronics store. So now Kite was reading the instruction manual for his first cell phone as he absentmindedly trailed the two, mixing inconspicuously with the crowd.

"…'Instant messaging'…and '20 g-b-memory for photos and m-p-3'? Well…this…would be more efficient than using chakra on a communications jutsu…oh, wait." He stopped, "Ummm…shit…I lost them."

He stood in the crowd for a bit, thinking about his next change in plans.

_Hmmm…that guy in the trenchcoat…the Ginhoshi heir should be able to handle him, right? It's just one nin…probably a hunter? Or ANBU in hiding? …What's m-p-3 mean?_

Yes, at the same time, Kite was wondering what the heck an m-p-3 was. ADD can have that effect on you. Or maybe Kite was just absentminded, but at the rate he was going, he was going to become a 40-year old virgin.

* * *

Tenten slammed a bloody fist into the ground, sending shockwaves though the earth. _Earthen Slingshot jutsu._

Crack appeared at several intervals, and baseball-sized stones hurtled at Hitomi. The Rain girl flipped backwards repeatedly dodging the rocks as they came, whizzing past her twisting body. Then she landed on a knee and planted both hands on the ground.

Tenten sensed the familiar, chilling chakra entering the ground beneath her feet.

"Oh…crap…."

She forced chakra into her feet and launched herself into the air like a dart, just as dozens of massive ice spikes exploded from the ground

Tenten whipped out her scrolls and tapped several symbols along the paper as she loosened them. Weapons began appearing out of smoke about as she launched herself upwards. Her usual favored style usually pinioned opponents from her high point above the battlefield. Now, just as the Chuunin and Jounin Exams, she only had one opponent.

Ever since her loss to Temari in the first Chuunin exam, Tenten noted the need to redesign her tactics. But of course, she'd never let of the basic framework of her attack; she enjoyed making pincushions out of targets.

But her repertoire of blades had tripled, as well as the velocity and angles from which they were thrown. And of course, many of the spinning shuriken would attack from the side now, as she had perfected the art of star throwing.

Massive fuuma windmills spun away from the twirling kunoichi in arcs, as the smaller and thinner weapons like her custom kunais and senbons made beelines for Hitomi.

Hitomi unleashed her own rain of hell. Well, more like a blizzard. In other words, it was pretty much an extinction for the rest of the plants in this sector of the Hyuuga Estates. Even more so when Tenten's senbons exploded with fire. Tenten was actually holding back. She didn't take out the bombs yet.

* * *

Meanwhile, as the freezing gusts clashed with hot metal… 

Neji woke with a small start. Being a lazy and conceited bastard, he had decided to return to the Estates after finishing 500 laps. He'd return for his pupil later at night, if he finished.

Neji could still hear Shikamaru frantically scribbling down plans. _Wow…he's working harder than I thought…I thought he'd have run away by now…_

Neji had spoken too soon. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he noted with some restrained shock that Temari had been sitting next to Shikamaru. Judging by the fact the girl was sound asleep on Shikamaru's shoulder, they had been like that for quite some time.

"So it appears you'll be taking someone on a date soon?"

"I hate you, Hyuuga Neji. I hate you with passion."

"Shikamaru is passionate. There's news for people."

Shikamaru glared at him, all the while scribbling away.

"I abhor you with a passion."

Neji grinned evilly, "Can you…love her passionately?"

Shikamaru just blinked at him the way people blink at some unpleasant, eye-watering stain on the wall.

"Sorry, it's for the good of—"

The door slammed open, with Hiashi walking in, followed by a whole procession of Hyuugas, as well as some non-Hyuugas.

"How is the work going, nephew?"

"Fine, my secretary is almost done."

"Who's your goddamn secretary?"

Hiashi ignored Shikamaru's question and replied to Neji, "Ah, you hired one of the Naras! Brilliant! Keep up the good work! And good luck with your girlfriend!"

Hiashi had aimed the last remark at a stupefied Shika-kun.

Hiashi smiled warmly at Shikamaru, who was looking at him with some sort of desperation. When the Hyuugas and their entourage filed out of the room, Shikamaru began smacking his head against the desk. He managed to put a couple of cracks across the writing surface before Neji restrained his head.

"Now now…can't do that, else you'll wake up your Tema-chan."

Shikamaru gaped at Neji, a vein in his cheek pulsing madly, "What on earth's gotten into you, Hyuuga?"

Neji just cackled uncharacteristically and suddenly leapt onto the windowsill.

"Sorry, I gotta make an appointment. I expect the plan to be done by the time I get back."

* * *

Hinata watched silently from the side, as her poor little garden on the east side of the mansion was decimated either by blades, ice, fire, or rock. There were a lot of blades. Yes indeed. Hinata would have an amusing time picking the various chunks of metal and unmelting ice from her flowers patches. 

Lee looked at Hinata, who stood transfixed. He doubted the poor girl had ever seen such a ferocious fight yet. Lee himself was already used to this. Tenten and Neji used to fight like this all the time. And he'd often join in one way or the other. Which largely led to the constant removal of their team from the local training fields due to depopulation of the local wildlife. But of course, Lee always helped his pet squirrels move about beyond the range of Tenten's weapons.

* * *

Back again to look for his pupil, Neji watched his little students stumble past Training Area 31 before tripping him. 

"Hey! Why'd you trip me?"

"…Because you looked like you needed some help stopping."

The boy's wide eyes watered, much to Neji's surprise.

"Hey, hey! Don't cry! You've got to be tough. Anyways…I need to instill upon you the virtues of a shinobi."

"Huh?" Inari stared up at him with those freaky watery eyes.

"…Umm…well…first off…yes…Let me describe the kind of ninjas I've had the pleasure of working with. There are those who jump first, and think later. They usually end up as bloody pieces of meat. They are known as cannon fodder. You do NOT want to be cannon fodder."

Inari's eyes just grew wider as he drank in the information being fed to him.

"Next, there are those who think over the jump, and then jump. They usually survive a bit longer. As POWs are soon tortured to death. Lastly, we have the person who jumps and plans out his landing in midair. That is the ninja who often manages to unleash their jutsus before they land, annulling their enemy's attack."

"So if you stop to think, you're dead?"

"Theoretically no. Realistically, pretty much. Oh right. Hmm, I'll be merciful and cut it down to…oh, 200 more laps around the outskirts of Konoha central village. Some crowd-weaving will be good for you. After that, if you've still got a stomach, I'll take you to Ichiraku's for ramen. Then you'll start studying. Got that, genin?"

Inari gave a little surprised jerk as Neji called him a genin.

"So I'm, I'm, a ninja in training now ?"

"No, you're my slave until you can hit me."

"WTF?"

Neji blew past him, sending him spinning in circles.

"Better catch up if you want dinner, bratling…"

Inari started running. Of course, Neji had already outstripped him considerably, had had already disappeared from view.

About ten seconds after Neji had disappeared from sight, including the cloud of dust he had left, Inari finally realized he had no freaking clue where he was. inari was surprised to realize that he had been running for most of hte afternoon iwthout much of a goal. He looked around, and he seemed to see only trees towering high above him. Maybe he should have asked his sensei exactly what he meant by "boundaries of Konoha".

Ten minutes later…

"I never knew Konoha was so big…daaaaaaaaang…NEJI-SENSEI! I'M LOS—"

Neji whipped by Inari, already on his third lap, leaving the brat behind in the dust. Inari hadn't even finished a quarter of one.

"DAMN NINJAS! I MEAN! FREAKING HYUUGA!"

* * *

Tenten stood, back straight, and as unrelenting as ever. Her Sharp Amber eyes stared at her opponent. They'd already gone at it for the better part of the day, and there wasn't much end in sight. 

Tenten thanked the countless training Neji forced her through that allowed her to remain on her feet. He sore hand, twitching every now and then, had blood dripping down from it. Her white shirt was torn up and ragged, revealing the bindings that bound her chest. Hundreds of weapon lay scattered around the courtyard. Well, it used to be a lush, green courtyard. But it was kind of singed black and brown, much to Hinata's horror.

Hitomi stood there, her brilliant azure eyes glowing through the loose strands of hair covering her face, giving her the look of a demon. One of those sexy, hot, alluring temptresses that is.

Already littering the ground around Hitomi was a multitude of Tenten's sharp and pointy projectiles, as well as melting shards of ice. Scattered farther away were the trap wires that Tenten loved to leave around for the unsuspecting victim

Lee was getting just a little excited. He loved strong women. After all, his desire was to be the strongest under the sun. He'd let Neji have the honor of being strongest under the moon and stars.

And here it was, two hot, sweating, panting, Amazonian wo—

(Author dodges a set of kunais and icicles)

kind, sweet, maiden, and very gentle girls.

Yes, Lee was finally receiving a long-needed burst of hormones at last. It must be his hidden sweaty-girls fetish. Surprised Tenten never turned him on, but we assume that Lee merely sees Tenten as a sister, and Lee, with his high-yet-creepy sense of sophisticated moral, would never think of incest, unlike some others in Konoha…(coughhyuugaclancough)

We will now begin to wonder, what changes will take place, now Lee has begun receiving a fair share of hormones, like our favorite Hyuuga genius.

Hinata was just frozen solid, until a certain blondie slammed into her from behind.

If Neji were there, Naruto would have been castrated. Fortunately, Neji was currently on the western border of Konoha, leaving a trail of stones for his currently-lost-in-the-forest-all-alone-and-unwanted pupil to follow, thus Naruto would never have to become a eunuch.

Hinata, collapsing from fright whipped about and smacked Naruto right in the face with a Neji-patented palm strike, with the resulting crack which broke Lee out of his stupor. The fox-boy flew several feet, plowing into the grass behind him

"O-Ohmigod Naruto! SORRY!"

Naruto flipped up onto his feet, shaking dirt out of his hair. He grinned at Hinata enthusiastically, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Wow, Hinata! That was some punch!"

Tenten blinked, looking around until she spotted the source of the voice.

…_Naruto…how the hell did he get past the Hyuuga guards?_

Tenten looked back to see that Hitomi, her opponent, had suddenly lost her killing intent and was smiling again at her.

Tenten blinked once more. What the hell was going on?

Hitomi clapped her hands and it started raining, putting out whatever fires Tenten's many explosives might have started.

"Well, I suppose that's enough for today, Tenten-san! That was exhilarating…it's very good to know that Konoha has such a large number of respectable kunoichis. Your style, while using that crescent blade pole arm…what style was that? I have seen it in a recording once."

"Just something I made up myself. I didn't realize it was actually a known style."

"Actually it was from a observation camera, placed along our borders. It was recording a battle that included the kunoichi I deem to be Konoha's best, or has the greatest potential, Blade of the ANBU."

Tenten smiled weakly.

"Blade? Yes, she's fairly well known around the Jounins and ANBU here. I admire her greatly!"

Hitomi smiled back. It was then and there Tenten noticed that the grass was suddenly starting to grow back in the rain. An odd shower at that, Tenten kicked herself for not noticing. The water droplet, she examined some on her arm, had an odd twinkle about them. Then, while examining the droplets, she noted with masked shock that her cuts and bruises were beginning to heal.

Lee was seen with his head back and mouth open wide, trying to drink the rain, drawing giggles from Hitomi, who walked towards him cheerfully, with a jovial bounce on the balls of her feet.

Tenten, meanwhile, frowned at her weapons, randomly scattered about the area. Sighing heavily, she picked up a splintered cheongsam staff and with a wave of the hand pulled the five shuriken nearest to her into her hand.

It took a surprising short amount of time to pick up all her weapons, noting that she had used most of them, which amounted to nearly one full ton of cold metal. And then there were the wooden weapons. Most of them had splintered on impact with Hitomi's unnatural ice. She bit her lip, as she examined what was left of one of her favorite wooden tonfas. _Maybe I should stick to steel ones from now on…_

The craters, though now sprouting grass shoots, were still quite obvious in every way, due to their unnatural depths and width, and sometimes shape. Her explosive note pouch had run out a long while back. For the majority of her weapons, Tenten merely recalled them with a summoning scroll, as all she had beckoned them into existence with the touch of a letter of the scroll.

She sighed heavily once more as she watched Naruto stagger past a burnt-then-freeze-dried rose bush in a drunken manner, with blood streaming from his nose. A panicking Hinata followed him anxiously around.

And then Tenten realized that the area seemed to be filled with white-eyed people. A nervous giggle escaped her mouth as she looked around her.

* * *

"Ah-hah, sorry…about the flowers…" 

Neji sat on the tree branch. His pupil was still running laps. Or at least was supposed to be. Neji believed Inari to have just fallen over after his twentieth lap.

"…Tenten was too soft on him…"

Neji sat there in the darkness.

And by the way…haven't seen her in a bit… 

He propped up his lower lip, thinking. It had been only mere hours, but the boy genius (though not so boyish anymore) found him self missing the girl's presence.

"Don't go…your presence…is soothing…"

"Ya miss me that much, Jedi?"

Neji, his mind filled to the brim with many thoughts of Tenten, now turned to find himself facing his fantasy. Neji opened his mouth in surprise, and abruptly lost chakra control on his feet and toppled backwards from the squatting position off the branch.

But of course, it's Neji.

He effortlessly swung hooked onto the branch with his left and swung around to land net to Tenten.

"How'd you find me?"

Tenten frowned at him and pointed under them.

Neji looked down and saw Inari sprawled under the tree, glaring up at him.

"Hyuuga Neji, I know that you probably did that much when you were his age, BUT HE'S NOT A FREAKING HYUUGA!"

Neji appeared unperturbed by this statement.

"So?"

He smirked at her, reveling in her aura of irate cuteness. How he had missed it and longed for it, those twelve long hours.

"You're a selfish, ignorant, chauvinistic PIG!"

Neji squatted again and randomly raised a finger to her face. Tenten stared at it. Neji then flicked her nose, drewing a small cry of surprise from her

And that was about as far as Neji would admit to himself on how much he cherished his teammate. Neji enjoys lying to himself in fact.

Tenten gave him one of her angry-children faces. Like Tenten, Neji liked pictures. And thus Tenten was blinded by Neji digital camera.

"NEJI WHAT THE HELL?"

"I thought your face was interesting with that frown. It was worth saving for another look."

Tenten was about to make a wise-crack in return, until she worked the words around her cogs fro a bit and realized the hidden, and completely unintentional meaning behind them.

"Neji, was that a confession?"

Neji actually punched Tenten off the tree this time.

"Stop joking around, Tenten…"

No response. He looked down curiously. Tenten had fallen face down. On top of Inari. Neji's eyes widened at the sight. His veins bulged out as he unconsciously activated his Byakugan.

Neji proceeded to rear his maned head dramatically and roar loudly, causing the heavens to clap with catastrophic lightning and the earth to tremble at his voice.

* * *

Tsunade sat in her tower. Out the window, stomry clouds were gathering above Konoha. As lightning began cracking overhead, Tsunade swore at her coffee. 

"Shizune! Shut the window! I don't wanna get wet!"

"Yes Tsunade-sama!"

_Someone's angry…_

End. chapter

Thx for reading guys

tell me what you think in reveiw.

It'll help in my writing of the next chapter


	25. Chp 25 Let's get it STARTED in Here?

Hello, Kite here, it's been sometime since I updated, hasn't it? Well, school was pretty hectic, and my summer was packed to the brim, so I didn't have any time to touch this. Well, I hope you enjoy this delayed update, and please do leave a review with any thoughts, constructive criticisms, or suggestions.

I'll try to update within one or two weeks. Lol. We'll see what happens

**Chapter 25: Let's get STARTED in Here!!?**

READ: Let's get RETARDED in Here!!!!

Tenten got up, blushing colors, and ran away before either boy could stop her. So that left two boys, one seething the Furies of Hell out between his teeth, the other, much younger child, stupefied by recent events. Yes, usually, it is wrong for hot, young, female senseis to kiss their young, naïve, virgin pupils, even if it was an unforeseen accident. Especially in front of that special someone.

Inari was jerked awake by the loud thump of one irate Hyuuga landing heavily beside him. The white-eyed nin was emanating a fairly murderous aura from his body.

Inari stood up, brushed himself up, and grinned sheepishly at Neji.

"Ahaha, you two wouldn't happen to be dating now, would you?"

* * *

Tenten caught her breath at Ichiraku's. 

"Curry ramen, large. Extra spice please."

She then slumped down panting. Brushing a strand of brown out of her eyes, she heaved an impressive sigh for her age as she recollected her thoughts.

_Omfg I just kissed my PUPIL...it was an accident though..._

She slapped her cheeks with both hands. Yes, Tenten was one of those girls. Trained to kill, and kill she did, yet at the same time, she couldn't handle herself with a boy yet. Neji, Lee, and Shikamaru did not count. Naruto and Chouji even less.

When Ayame placed the steaming bowl of curried noodles in front of her, she dug in ravenously.

She retched most of it out somewhere along the streets of Konoha, drawing many whispers and stares

"Oh dear, she's a alcoholic!!"

"A druggie?"

"Somebody get an ambulance!!"

"I am NOT drunk!!"

Tenten continued storming down the streets in a huff, elbowing people out of the way in a rather vicious fashion. How dare they accuse her of getting drunk? She always won the drinking games and finished quite sober. (A/N: that is nothing to be proud of…trust me)

Flashback

* * *

_Tenten cracked her neck loudly and stretched with a relaxed intake of breath as she set down her weapon of choice. Around her, bodies lay sprawled all over the floor. Amongst the chaos, she was the LMS. Last Man Standing. Just kidding. Tenten's a girl, really._

_"Aaahi, guys, wasn't that just refreshing," she purred as she fondled the handle of her beer mug sexily._

_The Hyuuga sprawled across the bar counter behind her twitched in drunken fashion as a reply. Shikamaru answered for him with a wavering, red-eyed glare from his uncomfortable position under a table._

_"Y-You M-Monster…78…"_

* * *

Flashback end 

She passed by a bar. Stopped. Turned.

_Ladies' Night, free drinks for the Ladies!_

Tenten's eyes began sparkling like no other.

* * *

Inari, just finishing a session of training under the honorable tutelage of one Hyuuga Neji, crawled over a crooked tree root obtruding from the cracked earth. 

"How was I supposed to know he had an eye for Tenten-chama…"

Inari had been introduced to the concept of interrogation by Neji. Neji decided that the time was ripe for teaching him about one of the wonders of ninjahood.

Interrogation.

Actually, it was more like Neji practicing her interrogation techniques on Inari after tying him to a tree. Neji was in fact a very perverse interrogator.

He used the Chinese water drop torture the most. Other times he just proceeded to punch Inari where it hurt the most

"_You've got to learn to ignore the pain!!! Do your duty!!_"

"And he said he wasn't jealous," groaned Inari. At the rate he was going, he'd be lucky to make it back before midnight.

* * *

Neji frowned, as he sat on the log. After a long day's work (today's work involved beating the shit out of certain trainee), Neji liked to kick back and just ponder over the meaning of life. In his hand, he held a piece of Tenten's ANBU mask. He fingered the smooth surface. _This…was touching her cheek…_

He grimaced. _No, I refuse to have a fetish…_

But of course, he couldn't resist holding it to his face. _But still…this piece…touched Ten-chan's cheek…wish I could do that everyday…_

He smiled lovingly as he caressed the mask piece with his face. In full view of a shocked Tenten. He sputtered and fell over when he realized she was standing next to him.

"T-Tenten! I can explain!"

"Wow, Neji, I never knew you were M-O-E for ceramics !"

"I…!?"

Neji wtf-ed mentally. Shaking his head, he held out the piece sheepishly. Tenten took it with a grin on her face and looked him in the eye. Taking several steps forward, Tenten moved right in front of her teammate, and cocking her head to the side, examined him closely.

"W-what?"

"Hmm…you're acting weird…since when do you stutter?"

"I…I was simply embarrassed..."

A slight pinkish tinge appeared on his cheeks. Tenten smiled at him adorably and began walking around him in a circle.

"So Neji-kun. Aside from your fetish for armor, don't you have any questions?"

"About?"

Neji heard her stop behind him.

"About…y'know…that morning…"

"Not really. I assumed you'd tell me when you felt ready."

Neji turned to her, his usual composure restored. He smiled briefly at her and strode over to her. His arm reached out and seized Tenten's arm, and before she realized what was going on, rolled up her sleeve. There, the ANBU tattoo was clearly marked on her upper arm, close to the shoulder.

"Do you want me to ask you questions?"

Tenten blinked at him.

"I said, if you want…"

"Very well. When did you join ANBU?"

"Several months back. I hacked into ANBU Central and created a personal data file for my alter ego, . I then stole forms for entrance into the ANBU and secretly filled them out and stole into the ANBU headquarters. Well, I actually…had some help. I had Yuugao-senpai help me get in. She thought that there ought to be more female ANBU."

Neji blinked stupidly. Did Tenten even have a computer? And since when did ANBU candidates actually fill out application forms? Sounded more like some kind of day job… _I could have sworn the Hokage was in charge of selection…along with the ANBU Commander…but then again…its Tsunade…_

"Ah Neji," she smacked a fist on her open palm, "That reminds me…you never showed up for the tryouts!"

"What?"

"I became ANBU through the first ANBU Konoha Tryouts Extravaganza ever!!!"

"…."

" !?"

"We're still talking about the ANBU assassination and spec ops squad right?"

She laughed at him, "Of course!"

"I could have sworn that ANBU candidates were secretly selected by a group of officials and the Hokage…"

"Yeah, well, Tsunade was feeling really lazy and didn't want to sit in to watch all of the candidates individually, so she decided to open a tryout for ANBU for all nin Chuunin and above! Well, she was a bit tipsy at the time, but that's beside the point."

Neji practically fainted. If that was true, Konoha was finally going under. _Even Chuunin could participate_? Neji sighed, turned, and began bumping his head into a tree trunk repeatedly.

"What-The-Bloody-Fauking-Hell-Is-Wrong-With-That-Drunk-Of-An-Hokage!!!!!!"

"Well, I think I was the only one who passed."

"Really?"

"Mhmm. The council found out though, so my status has been placed on probationary for sometime. I'm regarded as just a low-level soldier at the moment."

A few minutes of head bonking and bleeding later, he sat down and heaved another impressive sigh. His brain was having too much exercise recently. Neji doubted he could take another shock.

"Oh and Neji?"

"Hn?"

"I…" she trailed off, her voice wavering.

Neji looked up at a suddenly downcast Tenten, who was staring down at her feet and twiddling her thumbs. It was a side of Tenten Neji had seen only twice in his life previously

"I've…b-been feeling squeamish for a couple of weeks now…a-and…I-I haven't had my period yet…"

Neji's jaw dropped to the earthy floor with a dull thud. Just kidding. But it did drop.

Pausing for a moment, almost nervously, she continued, "N-Neji-kun…I-I don't understand…"

She began tearing up, as enormously droplet formed around her eyes. Neji was feeling very uneasy indeed. He hated it when girls cried; it was annoying. But when Tenten cries, his heart simply breaks in the face of his teammate's tears.

"N-Neji-kun, I-I…I…d-do y-you think I-I'm pregnant? …I-I was wondering what you think we s-should d-do…?"

Neji's face froze into a look of utter Hyuuga shock (with reflexive activation of the Byakugan) as his semi-peaceful world shattered into a billion little shards. Somehow, he did not scream out

He stared at Tenten's feet blankly. At that moment, Tenten burst out laughing. She staggered to his side and sat down on a clean part of the log he was sitting on. Neji looked at her, his cogs finally figuring out that he had just been played up horribly.

Neji, now in light of the situation, realized that they never had anything that amounted to a late-night rendezvous. The most the ever shared together was a kiss, a couple one-sided ones on that note.

Neji had been fairly overwhelmed by recent events, so his mind had seemed of late unable to think things out logically.

"Hahaha, Neji, you actually, fell for it!!!"

Neji covered his face with his hand in embarrassment. They weren't even a couple. Neji had been dreaming way too much these past days.

Tenten had finally calmed down, wiping tears of mirth off her face. Sighing deeply, she looked at him curiously.

"I'm surprised you haven't blown up at me yet."

"Hn."

Neji kept his face buried in his hands.

"Sorry Neji-kun, it was a bad joke, ok? Please look at me?"

"Hn…"

"Neji?"

"Hn?"

"I'm really, really, _really_ sorry…"

"I heard."

Tenten immediately flung herself around Neji neck, dragging back of them down to the ground.

"Neji-Neji-Neji-Neji-kun-Neji-Enji-Genji-Neji-kuuuun!!!!!!"

Neji was laying on his back._ She's drunk…she's drunk as hell…isn't she?_

A wet peck on his cheek made him freeze up.

"T-T-Tenten-san!!!"

She abruptly hiccupped blacked out.

Definitely not your normal girl… 

Neji sat up and scratched his head, letting the drunk kunoichi slide off.

"Tenten…there's a limit, even to being a tomboy…"

Flushing with sweat and an eerie tingling feeling, Neji slung Tenten across his back and headed back towards Konoha.

As he leapt through the trees away from the small clearing, he didn't notice the figure who stepped out of the shadows behind the log.

* * *

"Tenten, my little girl, you haven't changed much, have you?" 

The figure chuckled to himself and turned around and came face to face with an ANBU mask.

"Ah…ahaha…hahaha…Yu—"

"HAYATE!!! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO???"

"Ah…haaa…um, hey! Let's go get a drink! It's on me!"

* * *

**Ssssss…mmmm…I love the smell of fried meat in the morn'n…give that to me dear…**

"Get some yourself, it's on the damn table top."

**Tch…touchy touchy…angry now that your lover-boy's gone on a mission?**

_I am not dropping a chunk of meat down the front of my shirt_!

**You don't need to, dropping it down the back of your shirt is fine too.**

_Get the Fuck out of my clothes. Get. Get out._

**Touchy Touchy…ssss….fine…**

Mandra slipped in slippery fashion out of Anko's sleeve. Her arm had been placed conveniently next to the platter of BBQ meats, so Mandra found it easily within reach. The snake bared a fanged grin and dug in.

Just as Sakura walked in the door.

"AAAAH THERE'S A SNAKE ON THE PICNIC TABLE!!!!!!!"

"Calm down, it's just Mandra."

Sakura did not calm down. In fact, she refused to take orders from anyone to shut up. So she ran out the same way she came in screaming. Tsunade sighed. Sakura seemed to have had a fear of snakes for quite sometime. _Not going to make her any more popular with Sasuke…wherever that bastard is…_

"Y'know…this girl hasn't really been the same with snakes ever since her first Chuunin exams. At least that's what Sarutobi used to say. Wonder why…did the Forest of Death have any giant, man-eating snakes?"

Anko shrugged and ripped off a chunk of the luscious, tender, barbecued me—

"CAN YOU SMELL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKING???"

Anko spat off her bite in typical ninja fashion as a new threat entered the scene with a blast. Six large dishes, fully loaded with, splattered onto the table, spinning to complete stop. Unfortunately, their content didn't end so neatly. Anko found herself the unlucky victims of thick, savory sausages, yellow scrambled eggs in butter, some sizzling hot bacon, and several pounds of soft potatoes with herbs. Anko shifted her head aside to avoid the impact of an uncapped bottle of Ketchup, which flew past her head. Unfortunately, it was uncapped.

Anko, eyes closed in disgust, calmly wiped her face of the scrambled eggs in tomato sauce as Tsunade began flinging large, blunt objects through the air, such as a coiled Mandra. She hadn't been hit with anything tasty, but her sake bottle had been taken out in the first salvo, and its remains were currently soaking in a slowly spreading puddle of warmed alcohol.

"Get…out…of THIS HOUSE YOU DUMB MUSHROOMS!!!!!"

Rock Lee and his mentor quickly escaped via the kitchen window. Well, Gai actually couldn't fit through the window. So now there was a Maito Gai-sized hole above the sink where the window used to be.

"Tsunade-sama, if you keep flailing objects around like that, my pet wont have a head anymore."

"Gomen. But those two are getting D-class missions for the rest of the week. And they'll be doing them alone and far away from Konoha."

They all turned as they heard the door creak open silently. But no one entered the room.

Tsunade blinked, staring at Anko, who had suddenly relaxed a bit, a creeping grin appearing on her face.

"What?"

"Kakashi's back, he got attracted by the smell of the food on the floor I suppose."

Tsunade turned at the sound of someone clearing his/her throat. She let out a shriek as she found herself face to face with none other than Kakashi. He cracked a lackadaisical grin at his Hokage, he saluted to her as his arms blurred in front of him, snatching up pieces of meat, which quickly disappeared behind his ever present mask.

A second later, Kakashi collapsed onto the chair next Anko feeling much more satisfied. A heavy backpack poofed into existence and landed on the table with a thump, scattering silverware and squishing sausages

"So, Hokage-sama, I finished my mission. Want my report now, or when you decide to return to your office?"

"Now is fine, Anko-san may hear this."

"Right, it seems there has been large troops movements between Cloud and Stone. But strangely enough, those nins don't appear to belong to either of the aforementioned. Rather, I've been hearing rumors of the Great Clans remnants moving about somehow, even though they should have been wiped off the map decades ago, during your time. Its true, we've always heard rumors in other countries about remnants, but that war. I recall that there were some…indisputable massacres committed by our side," Kakashi made a small frown, "I believe that rather that the clans having been resurrected, a small handful of survivors, as in affiliated nukenin rather than surviving blood members of the families, may be acquiring new followers in an attempt to rebuild their powerbase, even with the loss of the Three Families. This might start another war. And, it seems that Cloud and Stone are turning blind eyes to their actions. Either that, or the remnants were simply rumors disseminated by Stone or Cloud agents to confuse us. I personally would be more worried about Stone and Cloud. Its not that I don't believe the reformation of the Great Clans, but they're less of a threat than the already established Stone and Cloud. Konoha and Suna may have to face them together. I can't be sure, but maybe one of the ANBU returning in a few days will be a more comprehensive and up-to-date report on whether there has been an alliance between Cloud and Stone"

Tsunade leaned against the frame of the kitchen entrance, thinking over what she had just heard. _That girl….Kimiko…we'll need to get her back and hold her…_

"Kakashi, I know you're tired, and your girlfriend here wants to spend some time with you, but I'm afraid I have to ask one last thing. Please contact the head of ANBU. We may have a war on our hands soon enough."

Anko sputtered on a mouthful of orange juice. "Wh-what do you mean girlfriend?"

"You're over the hill. You should at least give it a shot."

"…Excuse me, who's over the hill here? I'm pretty sure that I haven't really reached the age where all I care about are the personal love lives of others."

"Touché."

* * *

Neji fired a ball of chakra at the girl, and she batted it away with her chakra-enhanced katana. He strolled towards her, almost casually, firing out palm bursts, driving her up against eh tree trunk behind her. It was right when he started smirking, when he realized that the patch of ground he stepped on was rather bumpy. 

"Tenten, you didn't…"

Tenten cackled gleefully, rubbing her hands together in mock evil-dictator fashion.

Neji's figure was engulfed in a massive explosion as the camouflaged mine beneath exploded. Tenten just leaned back against the tree and sighed heavily in relief. She looked up to see Neji fall down from the sky, landed in front of her with a splash of leaves fluttering down from the tree.

Panting heavily, he stared at her with his Byakugan. Tenten clicked her tongue sympathetically as she strode forward and patted down a couple flames singing his robes.

"You know, I was afraid you'd sense my technique…"

"…"

"So, does that mean I win Neji?"

Tenten snapped her fingers, and the trees around her abruptly exploded in simultaneous fashion, raising a cover of dust in the clearing. Scattering branches and bark flew through the air, as numerous explosives rumbling throughout the training area.

Dispatching the clone with a kunai, Tenten immediately crouched into a combat stance, as the kunai in her hand was replaced with her katana.

"Neji. You. Are. Not. Human."

A low rumbling voice echoed through the clouds of dust obscuring her vision.

"Tenten, you detonated enough explosives to take out the Hokage Tower. The keeper of the grounds won't be too happy about this."

"Yeah, yeah. How are you still alive?"

"I'm a Hyuuga." _And why are you trying to kill me?_

"…Are you going to let a girl wait?"

Tenten whipped about, slashing through the air around her with blinding speed. But she struck nothing but air. Shadows danced around in the dust. Her eyes flitted from side to side, as sweating mingled with dirt, caking her face.

"Boo."

Tenten slammed her katana into Neji's side, only to have it caught between two of his fingers. Tenten thrust her free palm at his face, but a snaking hand knocked it aside and headed straight for her neck. She jerked her head aside to avoid the blow.

Going in low, she moved under his Jyuuken, only to be met with a knee to the chest. Tenten found herself tumbling backwards along the ground, feeling jagged rocks cut away from the craters she had made herself.

Neji, still holding onto Tenten's katana, wasted no time in leaping after her. When Tenten had finally stopped rolling, she found herself with a very fine blade edge against her pale, sweat-drenched neck. At that moment, Tenten realized just how well she took care of her weapons, duly noting it from the blindingly shiny side of the sword in her teammate's hand.

Neji grinned and pulled Tenten to her feet. She tiredly stood in front of him, letting the Hyuuga pat her down from head to feet, wiping off chucks of dirt that clung onto to her attire. She was exhausted, and did not mind Neji babying her at all. In fact, she welcomed it. Hard-working kunoichi such as Tenten always deserved their own Hyuuga slave.

As Neji was cleaning her training shirt and pants with gentle brushes of his hands, Tenten realized just how much punishment she had inflicted on the local scenery. There weren't very many lush, green trees around. In fact, there wasn't much of anything left standing. Tenten's demolitions expertise had expanded the clearing by a forty-meter radius. But in her half-wake state, she really didn't care that much.

Tenten noted blandly that Neji wasn't quite as perturbed as the average person ought to have been in the face of such utter destruction. Of course, he was Hyuuga Neji after all. The fact that his partner was a walking one-girl arsenal probably made him happy. The newfound fact that she leveled forests faster than teams of trained, burly lumberjacks merely gave cause for celebration.

"Oi oi, Neji, so you're not quite surprised at what we accomplished during training today?"

"Not bad, not bad at all. The explosive entrapment linked to the minefield was brilliant. But your reactions in hand-to-hand combat was rather poor. Are you tired?"

Tenten froze for a moment, thinking how wonder it would be if Neji had freaked out an started screaming at her for blowing away much of the surrounding terrain like any normal ninja would. Lee definitely would not have been pleased with the number of the squirrels she had killed or crippled. She gave him a quick thwack on the head, half-not expected it to hit.

Neji let it strike him across the forehead.

"Hn?"

He was now wiping her face and neck with a wet rag.

""Neji, where did you get that?"

"Oh, I had a feeling that you'd be very dirty after today's training."

"Why didn't you do it before?"

"…Because."

"Because?"

"Because some girls need to show gratitude when people are being nice to them."

Neji smirked and grabbed her hand, which was threatening to land another blow on him.

"Now, what was your original question?"

"Never mind. Did you hear that rumor floating around JOCC (A/N: like jock)?"

Tenten referred to the Jounin Command Center as the JOCC. It took Neji a surprising amount of time to catch on when she started using it.

"No, I haven't had a mission in a couple days."

"War. Some said that it was against Cloud, and some said Stone. It might just be both. What do you think?"

"They're just rumors. I will not believe without some sort of evidence. What I did hear was that several S-class nukenin were spotted around the outskirts of Konohagakure."

"Oh yeah, they're reforming the guardian squads. Ever since we defeated Akatsuki, we've never had to call on the squads. Of course…I never felt like we really defeated them, they just sort of…disappeared…we only found three bodies…Itachi and Kisame-san are still out there somewhere, as Sasuke-kun is too—"

"Tenten…"

"—And the ANBU are being sent farther away than usual, we have agents—"

"Tenten." His vein started pulsing beneath his eye.

"—every country—"

"Ten-chan?"

"Yes Neji-kun?" She smiled ever so sweetly at her partner. Neji gripped her firmly by the shoulders, and abruptly spun her head over heels, eliciting a rather piercing shriek from her. Setting her back on her feet, Neji held her as she collapsed against him.

"What was that for!??"

"You weren't listening."

"Buy me dinner."

"What?" Neji stared at her through one eye, keeping the other closed as he stretched out his arms.

"I'm hungry, buy me dinner. Dumplings are nice."

Neji sighed and agreed. When Tenten asked for something, she usually got it. She was quite aggressive when it came to food.

…

* * *

Shikamaru had indeed finished the planning, and with great gusto, he had presented it to the Hiashi and the rest of the Hyuuga Council. In the form of a slideshow. He had taken great pains to finish this project. Once Shikamaru starts a something, he tends to finish it, even if he is lazy. And he'll do it well. Which is why he hates taking on projects. 

Hyuugas are very picky people. Look at Neji. Only Tenten, the perfect kunoichi (in his eyes, which are quick sharp I might add), could suit his manly needs. And a full course of ass-kicking a day.

Shikamaru was just slightly nervous, but this wasn't the first time he was put on the spot. The Hyugas were all staring, some glaring, and Hiashi looking as though it was his brithday. Of course, in the face of such utter brilliance from Konoha's laziest genius, they could only applaud at the glory that was…THE NEW AND RE-VAMPED HYUUGA VALENTINE BALL…SHIKA-STYLE.

Shikamaru pressed the clicker in his hand, and the image on the screen behind him shifted to bear the words "Annual Valentine Ball—Bringin' it back ol' school Hyuuga-style, for 7 days straight"

"And so, for seven days, we shall have a grand ball. The first day, when the clans arrive, I understand that many will have come to find suitable wives and husbands for their heirs. So we will hold a ballot vote. The vote will decide whether or not we do the pairings by random or auction-style. The auction will be for the daughters."

A wizened Hyuuga in the back cheered.

"…Actually, on second thought…" _Temari would smack me with her fan…_

"The third choice will be omimai-style."

A large groan echoed throughout the room.

"THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT DAMMIT??"

Shikamaru just then realized that he had swore at the entire Hyuuga Council.

"I mean…any suggestion? Hehe…"

The wizened old man in the back raised his hand.

"Hai, Hyuuga-sama?"

"How about having an auction just for display, then a omimai to meet the goods!!??"

Shikamaru sighed as the room erupted into applause. _I wonder what Tenten or Ino would say…_. This is why slavery lasted so long. Of course, Shikamaru really did not feel like lecturing on past Konohan history…

Anyways, Shikamaru continued on, with occasional shuffling of papers and clicking of the controller.

"So blah blah, blahblahblah…and blah blah blahing, and more blahing with some blahing to spare…yeah, and I was thinking, we could blah blah blah blah blah blah. And then Neji could Blah the Blah out of the aforementioned blahhers blah blah-ing."

And so, for four hours, Shikamaru displayed his great plan for the annual ball. And then he realized he had missed dinner and his mother would kill him. Most of the chamber had fallen asleep by then, so after giving a small good-bye to Hiashi, Shikamaru quickly left, leaving his blueprints behind for Neji's use.

"Neji, you owe me," he muttered under his breath as he walked out of the Hyuuga estates.

* * *

The next morning, Neji traveled to Naruto's house. It wasn't really that he wanted to see the blonde boy, but Inari had decided to room with his "older brother". 

Neji found not a blonde haired face that poked its head out of the creak of the door, but—

"Hinata-sama!!!"

"Neji-niisan!!"

"The hell?"

"G-Gomen nasai!! I slept over…"

Hinata was shoved aside with gentle care by a furious Neji, who blasted through the door into the apartment interior.

* * *

A not-so-awake Naruto sat down at his kitchen table, yawning loudly. He had a bowl of instant ramen in his hands. Blinking, he picked up chopsticks and looked down into the steaming bowl. Taking in the luscious aroma of preservatives and a boatload of MSG, he grinned in a drunken stupor and dug in. 

Oh, he loved ramen. There was a time where he ate nothing but ramen for a month. Curry ramen, miso ramen, saltwater ramen, plain ramen, he loved them all. Naruto grinned as he picked up the bowl with both hands and lifted it to his lips.

It took his brain about ten seconds to acknowledge that a very, very upset Hyuuga Neji was standing opposite of him, panting heavily.

"Oh, morn'n Neji, what's up, my brother-in—?"

Those would be the last words coming out of Naruto's mouth, as a chakra-infused palm blasted through his bowl of ramen that he was holding up to his mouth. Naruto, sleepy and unable to defend against such a ferocious attack, was cruelly knocked unconscious after being sent out the second story window. But still, Neji was not sated.

With a roar about defending Hinata-sama's purity, Neji leapt out the window.

A loud UMPH followed by a piercing, wretched scream cracked the sky as Neji landed on Naruto with a double knee drop.

Actually, aside from that incident, where as Hinata did not speak to Neji for the rest of the day (she tried to feign anger, but Neji gave her such a sad, forlorn look, that she had to go and give him a hug later) the days before the Valentine Ball passed without much in the way of events. Other than Kiba coming back from a week long mission and having his ass kicked consecutively by Sakura and Ino after Akamaru devilishly flipped Sakaura's skirt while Kiba happened to be standing right behind her.

* * *

Tenten sighed as she walked the streets alone. Weaving through pedestrian traffic, she wandered about the city, feeling very bored. _Where is Neji? I haven't seen him since our training session on Wednesday._

It was around noon of that hot Saturday when she began to notice that she was seeing a lot of shinobi and kunoichis and people she had never seen before at all. She saw the headbands flashing in the sun. They all reflected different symbols, stating where the wearer hailed from. Tenten noted that the ANBU were tracking the movements of these newcomers, but did nothing but that.

Stuffing her face with pork dumpling, she continued around, having found a new interest. She wondered why they were so many foreign people around. Of course, by the time she got to the west gate, she found all her questions answered.

The massive west gate was there as usual, surround by the zillion-meter high walls. Except, there was a large, pink, purplish banner hung between the two supporting beams of the gate. Walking outside, she turned to read the banner

"315th Annual Pan-Clan Valentine Celebration! Hosted By Hyuuga Clan of Konoha!"

Tenten heard chattering to the side, and she turned to see a Hyuuga delegation receiving more of the foreign guests. Tenten noted with an odd fascination that several of the Hyuugas were wearing pink, frilly dresses. Suddenly, an idea struck her. Hard.

She clapped her hands with glee, drawing attention from some of the cloaked group that was speaking with the Hyuuga delegation.

"Heeeyyyy, it's Neji's female subordinate!!!!"

Tenten delayed the welcoming process for about an hour with the abrupt dropping of a 40 kg _Joy To the World­_-class bomb on top of the processing and check-in table, which did a hell lot more than scatter papers. Smiling as politely as she could, she poofed away in a cloud of white wisps. The current clan party being check-in blinked stupidly at the bomb. So did the Hyuuga servants present. The single Hyuuga there had the sense to take a look at the bomb with his Byakugan. Not that it helped him at all. Whistling happily, Tenten skipped across the top of the twenty-story walls with a definite joy as a large mushroom cloud rose up behind her, the accompanying explosions rumbling through this side of town. She made a mental apology to all the vendors whose carts had been upturned by the proximity of the explosion.

* * *

Neji sighed as he watched the 30-acre courtyard fill up with the clanners. He stared moodily at his drink stonily. 

"Hiashi, technically speaking, aren't many of these clans the enemies of Konoha?"

"Oh yes, but Tsunade gave the Hyuuga clan special dispensation to hold this with certain blacklisted clans as well. We could use it to gather information as well. Shikamaru-kun planned a fighting tourney, which I expect you to win. The winner gets the right to pair up with any girl of his choice as I recall."

"What about that…auction," asked Neji, "and what exactly do you need me here for? I'm not really doing anything"

"Oh, as the host, you're required to participate. We'll see how many marriage proposals you get!!!"

"…What about Hitomi and her father?"

"Hmm?"

"I thought you were trying to get me engaged to Hitomi?"

"Well, if you'd like, I must admit that her hair is fantastic, every time it moves it changes color!!! I would not mind having you create a cute little heir like that…Byakugan and blue and purple hair…what knock-outs…well yes, technically, we never finalized the contract annulments.

Neji snorted loudly in his punch.

"…So, basically, you're just trying to set me up with some clan girl right? Make some babies?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I want to be a grand-uncle before I pass away. It's okay if you want concubines too. It's just I'm pretty sure that many of the clans may object to that. I mean, I have absolutely no qualms about you introducing multiple young, lithe, buxom nieces-in-law to our clan. I really wouldn't you know?"

Neji sighed. He really, really hated the birds and the bees. He was very happy indeed to know that Tenten knew nothing of the matter. Wait, why was he concerned about what Tenten knew? Oh, right, Tenten's his very special teammate, a face he'd see everyday. It would be odd indeed if she suddenly starting talking of babies and the like. Hell, he'd freak if she started to get interested in boys more than weapons.

"Actually Neji, you should go and pick a girl to go with anyways, we start off with making as many pairings as we can before the ball. If you can't find yourself a girl, then I'll find one for you. In fact, I even created a temporary council for finding suitable Hyuuga brides for our singles. I made sure that my favorite nephew was on the list."

"Thanks. A lot. Dear uncle." _FAAAAAUKKK! &(#&$(#(#_

Hiashi smiled and walked away, stroking his nonexistent beard. And then stopped a couple meters away. And clapped his hands, laughing manically. Neji found himself surrounded by several Main House members.

"Hyuuga Neji, please report to MAC-2. You shall find the Hyuuga Council of Singles' Salvation waiting for you."

Neji snorted into his punch again, this time practically shooting the tangy liquid up his nostrils. For a second, he thought they were joking. Turning away to drain the juice out of his nose, he turned back after he had finished, trying to salvage some dignity. And then he realized they were all glaring at him the way Sasuke used to glare at Sakura. _Um. Shit. Times two._

Well, there goes Hyuuga Neji's dignity. Whatever's left of it.

* * *

After allowing himself to be hauled off to another sector, Neji arrived at the auction area. Or one of the large auction areas. Then he realized just how many people there were. There were at least six different stages, each with a massive video monitor for the people in the back and midgets who couldn't see past people of average height. He noted with some sick humor that three were for displaying the female heirs, and three for the male. _Shikamaru…when I see you, I'm going to rip your brain out with your ponytail…damn pineapple head. What kind of bullshit idea was this?_

Neji found himself steered behind a stage. There, he found an ecstatic Hanabi and a very, very shell-shocked Hinata.

"S-S-So m-many p-people!!!! N-Neji-niisan! I-I don't w-want to go u-up t-there again!!"

Neji blinked and patted her head sympathetically while snatching another punch from a passing waiter. They were inside a large, spacious room, with several doors leading to other parts of the stage, or dressing rooms, and one room that did not have a sign. Neji found himself being swarmed with attendants as they pushed him gently into one of the room. It was around that moment when Neji realized that he was the only male in the room. The Main House members had already left. _Oh. My. God. Shikamaru. If I survive this humiliation, I'm tacking your ass to my wall._

"Forgive us, Neji-sama, but Hiashi-dono ordered us to do this."

Neji started screaming. Very loudly. He started screaming because his hands weren't moving. And so they gave him a rather generous dose of anesthetic to put him to ease. The prodigy fell to sweet dreams of dancing with the other pretty girls of Konoha.

* * *

Hide was standing in front of the gates to the Hyuuga Estates. Indeed, he had quite the job. Hide must have talked to at least groups from 70 different clans from all over the continent, with the Five Great Shinobi Countries represented. 

The men in the purple robes that waltzed past him had come from Stone. _Stoners…hehehe….they're Stoners!!!_

Anyways…

Hide found that he was tipped every now and then by the parties he let in, which proved to be very profitable.

"Next group!"

He smiled cheerfully at the cloaked and hooded clanners that moved in front of him.

"Do you have your ticket from the registration desk?"

One of the figures produced the pink piece of parchment. In the shape of a curvy heart, the signed sheet was noted by Hide for the umpteenth time this day.

"So, Clan? Affiliation? Names? And would you like to be announced?"

Hide gestured to the Hyuuga band right behind him with a rather grin that was more restrained laughter than politeness. Several unfortunate, musically gifted members of the Hyuuga household stood behind Hide, decked out in all their glory with all the markings of a Hyuuga in the springtime of love. Each held some sort of brass instrument in their hands, and all were looking utterly humiliated.

The tallest hooded figure took a one look at the Hyuuga Marching Band and snorted with laughter. His companion elbowed him sharply in the ribs to shut him up.

The hooded one with the signed slip from the welcoming committee answered for their small group, speaking in the clear, crisp voice of a confident diplomat, "Clan of the Moons, I am named Shadow. These two here are my companions Rift and Rain. We are a non-affiliated clan, though we have had certain ties with the Land of the Moon"

"A what?"

"Non-affiliated, meaning if World War III breaks out, we'll be neutral and we'll be able to double our income by playing both sides," answered

"Ah, of course, sign here, please," Hide handed the lead figure a clipboard.

Shadow whipped out a pen and quickly wrote his signature down. And then he slashed two large red X's next to his name.

He looked up, and Hide saw a mouth curve into a grin as Shadow said, "Those are for my compatriots, who happen to be illiterate."

The two could suddenly feel a chilling aura creep up form the shorter figure behind Shadow, who grinned again and dropped a pouch of money onto the table. "A the donation."

The cloaked group tromped away past Hide to join the colorful sea of people chatting inside the Estate.

Hide lifted the hefty pouch and juggled it around, feeling very happy with the weight of the pouch. Snickering, he opened it, expecting to find coins of some sort. His jaw dropped. The weight of the bag derived not from many shiny coins, but from jagged, ugly rocks.

Kite took off his cloak and turned to Kimiko and Rick with a rather evil smirk.

"Kite, you can stop smirking now, there's no use for it anymore."

"Oh, sorry."

He face instantly became the good-natured, handsome one they all knew and lov—

WHAP!

Kite staggered backward, a hand spring instinctively to his face. Kimiko, her cloak off as well, had socked him one. "What do you mean by 'illiterate'?"

Kite looked her in the eye for a moment. He noted the fact that however blind she may be, Kmiko's eyes seemed to be burning holes through his skull. He blinked twice. Wait. She was blind, wasn't she? He couldn't sense any chakra behind the eyes so her kekkai couldn't be working. Why the hell were those beautiful pearly orbs locked onto his face?

"S-stop that," he shied away, covering his face, "You're scaring me!!"

Rick snorted as he snagged a goblet of some alcoholic beverage from a passing waiter.

* * *

Meanwhile… 

Shikamaru knew his brilliance. In fact, he utilized it whenever using brain cells instead of muscles was deemed feasible. Of course, brilliance had its low moments. Like the fact that he was currently in line with two dozen girls he didn't even know. The irony of it all was the fact that he had concocted this $(&$#ing festival without leaving himself any margin of leeway. So he found himself a victim of his own brilliance. Life is funny that way.

"Shika-kun!!"

Scratch that.

2 x 12 – 1 23 gals he'd only just met and had no desire of being acquainted with. As his dad had bluntly put it, "The more girls you know, the more chances you have of losing your life and soul to some damn wo—OWWW HONEY WHAT THE FAUKING HELL WAS THAT F—."

Shikamaru recalled the fact that his father, a Jounin, had been taken out with one well-aimed porcelain plate. He shivered, and since then, had taken precautions whenever he would come face to face with a member of the opposite sex. He had actually stayed awake for a whole class when the teacher informed him that his cell included Ino.

After getting acquainted with Ino, he thought she wasn't too bad for a girl. A bit dim in the head yes, but she made good conversation most of the time. Of course, it was completely differently with that Uchiha Sasuke around. She'd turn into a screaming, drooling, utterly flabbergasting fangirl whenever he (as in the Uchiha) was within the immediate vicinity.

Good Lord, women were fine under normal condition, but whenever their hormones got riled up…well, Shikamaru just walked away and slept somewhere.

Unfortunately, he really didn't have a chance of getting away at all. Temari was…unique. As much as she doted on him, she always had that cruel streak which left him with nightmares of her as a leather-clad succubus of sorts.

She was smart. He liked that. She could kick ass. He respected that. She was in full control of her emotions (usually). He admired that. She could cook. He was in love with that aspect of her. She was strikingly beautiful and fit. He hated himself for liking it. She had a cruel streak whenever she had a crush, contrary to most girls. Shikamaru realized the dangers that his father had alluded to before being sent to Dreamland.

She played the part of the rabid fangirl with unexpected enthusiasm. It had sent Shikamaru into shock. And it took several pursuits to realize that while she WAS in full control of her emotions and WAS NOT in fact rabid, he discovered that not only did she enjoy pretending to be his fangirl, she loved tormenting him. It was around that time he figured out that she was also rather enamored with him.

Well, he took note of that after she started referring to him as "Shika-kun" rather than "Shikamaru".

"Shika-kun, I didn't thik you'd look so pretty in that kimono!"

A honeyed voice hiding a shadow of malicious amusement dragged Shikamaru by the ear back to reality. It was about then he noticed her WAS wearing a kimono. For girls.

"Temari?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"Why am I doing this?"

"Because you're hot."

"Temari?"

"Yes, honey?"

"I actually prefer 'Shika-kun' rather than 'honey'…and I don't really think that I look in anyway attractive."

"Ok, honey. But Neji did say I get to play with you for the rest of this celebration!"

Shikamaru twitched with vengeful anger directed at more than one person. And then he realized that one of the persons in question happened to be sharing his same fate. With that knowledge, Shikamaru managed a smile and then consoled himself by admiring Temari sharp looks and slender curves without giving away any look of desire that would easily escape any less capable male.

Temari still took note of the looks of non-desire and pretended to preen herself so she could see Shikamaru slap himself mentally.

_Sharp girl…not that I like that part about her…but then again, can't say I don't like it now, can I?_

Shikamaru spared her a weak smile, which was returned with a happy-go-to grin from the Kazekage's sister.

"All right ladies, it's time! Go out there and sparkle like the stars! You might just find your future hubby!"

* * *

Hyuuga Neji sneezed, sending face powder blowing away from him. The make-up specialist coughed, blinked out the powder, and wiped her face off with her sleeve. She glared at Neji icily. 

"Sorry. I think I might be allergic to this stuff."

"All right, Group 4, you're next! Stylers, finish up and let them go, the curtains open in TWENTY!"

Neji suddenly found himself at he mercy of three more giggling girls as they worked over his face. His eyes closed as they applied all sorts of cosmetics to his face. Someone was brushing his hair behind him, which actually felt pretty darn good, he had to admit. Another was applying some sort of lipstick (_My manhood…_) while the other curled Neji's eyelashes. He suddenly felt the one behind him tying his hair up in some sort of elaborate ponytail-bun-thingy-mabober. With chopsticks. Maybe he could kill someone with them. Actually, he'd probably kill the first male to lay eyes on his defiled body.

"Neji-sama. Thank you for your patience."

Neji opened his eyes. He found himself face to face with his own reflection. His jaw dropped open in shock. A beautiful, black-haired girl gaped at him in shock as well. Oh wait. _It's a bloody mirror. They a bloody mirror in front of me_

He blinked. And then he realized that they had given him a costume that he definitely was not wearing while his eyes were closed. He turned to gape in shock at the three attendants, who giggled at him and waved in a very adorable fashion.

…_They…changed my clothes without me noticing…oh my god, I am really out of it today._

It was about then the other girls, Hinata included, formed a line. Neji pondered on whether he should try to cut it and run away and wash his face. But every time he looked at the mirror, he found it hard to tear his eyes off the angelic face of that mysterious maiden.

In the end, which was about half a second later, He came to the decision: _I'll stay put for now. I don't think anyone will recognize me. It'd be a pity to wash away the hard-work of these girls. Yes, that's right, it would be a waste_

And thus, Hyuuga Neji discovered the vice of vanity.

* * *

Tsunade chatted enthusiastically with Hiashi beside a large plot of vibrantly colored flowers, holding a cup and a warmed bottle of sake. They touched on several subjects, ranging from Konoha's new foreign policy, to whether Hinata would find a suitor or not. Not was far away was Shizune, who was also talking with someone. 

"Ah, so you're from Getsugakure?"

"That's correct." Kite smiled charmingly as he sipped at his punch.

"Ah, this is the first time I've met a shinobi from the Land of the Moon!"

"And this is my first time in Konoha, Miss?"

"Shizune is fine."

"Shizune-san. You said you were a medical ninja?"

"Ah yes, I am also the assistant of Tsunade-sama!"

"Ah, Tsunade. She's the blonde talking? Who is that next to her??"

Shizune turned to look at the two.

"Ah, that is Hyuuga Hiashi. He is the current head of the Hyuuga Clan!"

"Hyuuga Hiashi…Hyuuga…"

Shizune blinked. For a second, she could have sworn the young man's eyes turned red for an instant, his features hardened as he looked at the head of the Hyuuga household.

"Kite-san??"

"Oh, yes, my apologies Shizune-san, I was…thinking of some memories…"

"Oh, that's all right. Well then, shall I show you around the Hyuuga Estates??"

"That sounds fine, Shizune-san."

Shizune turned and began walking. Kite glanced at the Fifth Hokage and the Hyuuga head once more, before turning to follow Shizune.

End Chp 25

All right thx for reading

Now REVIEW


End file.
